OnStar Discloses That it Will Track Customers Without a Plan

[Skip Intro]

In a privacy notice that will take effect this December, OnStar said that it would collect data as long as a data connection was active, including such details as the location and speed of the vehicle, as well as such fine-grained details as the odometer readings and tire pressure.

...

In the privacy notification, OnStar said that it will share the information it collects with credit card processors and data management companies, as well as roadside assistance providers, emergency services providers, law enforcement, and wireless and satellite service providers.

...

Whether or not OnStar really anonymizes the data is irrelevant, according to Jonathan Zdziarski, a senior forensic scientist at Via Forensics, who wrote about the change in the policy.

"This is too shady, especially for a company that you're supposed to trust your family to," he wrote. "My vehicle's location is my life, it's where I go on a daily basis. It's private. It's mine. I shouldn't have to have a company like OnStar steal my personal and private life just to purchase an emergency response service. Taking my private life and selling it to third party advertisers, law enforcement, and God knows who else is morally inept. Shame on you, OnStar. You disgust me."

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393378,00.asp?google_editors_picks=true#fbid=hgh7LxkNEx4

[Avalux]

1. Creepy as hell. I will NEVER own a car with Onstar. n/t

[customerserviceguy]

2. I would advise anyone with a car with OnScar

to beat the living hell out of the unit with a hammer. No way I'd ever have this spy hardware on my car.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. There are better ways to disable it than that

Also it is good to know where the event data recorder is as well.

[burrowowl]

4. Do all GM cars and others

come with such devices?

I am glad I'm old, if I do purchase anther car, it will be a bit younger than my Subaru 1997.

[msongs]

6. thinking onstar is an extra addon and expense nt

[SnoopDog]

5. Sounds *Illegal* to me....

This is an invasion of privacy...

We must have a right to *disable* this...

[unblock]

9. creepy and immoral as hell, yes; but illegal? only if they track you on private property, i think

your location and speed when you're out in public, which includes well over 99% of all roads in america, if perfectly legit information for others to observe, gather, and sell.

for that matter, someone could track your speed and apparel choices when you're out for your morning jog.

for the most part, the things you do in public are, well, public information.

[Arctic Dave]

7. Pull the fuse and pull the wire to it's speaker system. Nt

[Omaha Steve]

8. We will keep OnStar on both of our cars

The good outweighs the bad for us. IF enough people that keep it make their thoughts known to GM, it will change. I'll be bitching at them tomorrow.


http://www.onstar.com/web/portal/home

* Experience OnStar

* Plans & Services

*
EMERGENCY
o Automatic Crash Response
o Emergency Services

*
SECURITY
o Stolen Vehicle Assistance
o Roadside Assistance
o Remote Services

*
NAVIGATION
o Turn-by-Turn Navigation
o eNav

*
CONNECTIONS
o Hands-Free Calling
o OnStar RemoteLink Mobile App

*
DIAGNOSTICS
o OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics

* How to Use OnStar

* Coverage Maps

[MADem]

10. I thought they said that if you told them to cut the cord, they would.

It's kind of bogus that you have to TELL them, though. They should offer you the option of keeping it on, and if you say no or just don't respond, they should cut the connection.

[Buddyblazon]

11. A local grower got busted through his OnStar...

the authorities tapped into it to listen to incriminating conversations he was having with passengers in his car about what he was doing.

Scary.

[Omaha Steve]

13. Only with a court order!

I talked to OnStar at length today. There is a lot of incorrect info in the news stories going around.

Here are the new terms in PDF: http://www.onstar.com/tunnel-web/webdav/portal/document_library/downloadable/TermsConditions-2011-USE.pdf

[Heywood J]

12. If Onstar can disable it from the call center when you call in to complain,

they can turn it back on themselves, ten minutes after you hang up. For most of that information being collected, you would never know it had been turned back on and there isn't anything stopping them from doing so.

If you don't want to be tracked by them, pull the fuse, remove the unit, or sever the antenna.