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      01-21-2020, 10:34 AM   #42
The HACK
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Drives: 2006 MZ4C, 2021 Tesla Model 3
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MPBK View Post
I see you own a pretty old BMW.
All modern BMWs are already connected to the mothership. They say that's necessary for their app to work (I can locate my car and lock/unlock, among other things, from anywhere in the world). As an incentive for me to accept that, they update the maps over the air.
But that doesn't mean they are allowed to sell your data to insurance companies. If insurance had that, they wouldn't waste money developing an app.
I love how most people just accept their personal liberties being violated as long as they get to be lazy and don't have to use a key to unlock their doors.

I own 2 modern Chevys. Both of them send full telemetry to GM, and GM is in turn free to sell to insurance companies that opt-in to monitor my driving. The amount of data they collect is insane. They have the percentage of time my foot is on the gas, how hard I accelerate, how OFTEN I accelerate hard, how fast I drive and WHERE TO I drive.

All. Of. It. They're not shy about letting you know either, as I used to get a monthly "report" along with notes about how insurance companies can give me a discount based on the information they report to them*.

It is already too late. GM's ON-STAR program implementation is poor enough, like the rest of their implementation on cars, that you KNOW they're collecting and sharing. They're counting on the vast majority of buyers NOT opting out of sharing information, since both cars came with ON-STAR already activated and collecting info the second I rolled off the lot.

I'm willing to bet that the majority of car manufacturers with connected driving capabilities already gather said data, it'd be difficult to fathom GM being at the forefront of ANYTHING. The question is, do they let YOU know about it, and what do they actually do with the data.

As for insurance company needing to "develop" an app for it...You pointed out, I drive a 14 year old car. As I switch between my Z4 M, which lives completely off the grid, to my wife's 335D, which has first gen Connected Drive capabilities, to my Corvette which is capable of communicating with the mothership at all times, and to the Bolt which takes it even a step further as some levels of ON-STAR can not be fully disabled without disabling the car (the Bolt reminds me every time I start it that it's connected to ON-STAR services), it is in THEIR best interest to have a way to universally track your driving habits and activities. Since the ONLY constant between all 4 cars that I drive semi-regularly is the one device that is with me at all times, WHY wouldn't an insurance company want to develop an app that can give them the big data they want without having to pay a car company/manufacturer for the information for?

* With ON-STAR you do have to opt-in to participate for the insurance discount. But they're fully capable and willing to share EVERYTHING as soon as you opt-in. And the amount of data they do collect is insane, and you're automatically opted in to ON-STAR the second you sign the purchase contract.
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