General Motors data collection and sharing controversy: Difference between revisions
tone changes - also all the references appear to be bugged - someone who understands them better than me should have a go at fixing |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
General Motors (GM) has been collecting & monetizing driving data from millions of internet connected vehicles since 2015 | <!-- IMPORTANT: CURRENTLY ALL THE REFERENCES FOR THIS ARTICLE ARE BUGGED. -->General Motors (GM) has been collecting & monetizing driving data from millions of internet connected vehicles since 2015; through its OnStar system & vehicle telematics, GM gathers comprehensive data about drivers; including trip details, driving behavior, & real-time location information.<ref name="texaslawsuit">{{cite web |url=https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/File:General_Motors_Original_Petition_Filestamped.pdf |title=General Motors Original Petition (Filestamped) |publisher=Rossmann Group Wiki}}</ref> These data collection practices have been marketed to drivers as features for safety & convenience, however they have faced legal and regulatory scrutiny alleging that the practices are potentially deceptive, and that consumers were given inadequate disclosure.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311090514/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html |title=Carmakers, Driver Tracking, and Insurance |publisher=The New York Times |date=2024-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311090514/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html |archive-date=2024-03-11 }}</ref> | ||
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
=== Investigations & Oversight === | === Investigations & Oversight === | ||
Several major investigations have | Several major investigations have examined the scope of GM's data practices: | ||
* '''NY Times Investigation''': In March 2024, reporting revealed how GM's OnStar Smart Driver program collected and shared driving data with data brokers like LexisNexis and Verisk. The investigation found many cases where drivers faced insurance premium rate hikes based on this data without their knowledge. In one case, a careful driver with no accidents saw his insurance go up 21% due to data in his LexisNexis report, which contained over 130 pages detailing six months of driving behavior.{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311090514/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html |title=Carmakers, Driver Tracking, and Insurance |publisher=The New York Times |date=2024-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311090514/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html |archive-date=2024-03-11 }}</ref> | * '''NY Times Investigation''': In March 2024, reporting revealed how GM's OnStar Smart Driver program collected and shared driving data with data brokers like LexisNexis and Verisk. The investigation found many cases where drivers faced insurance premium rate hikes based on this data without their knowledge. In one case, a careful driver with no accidents saw his insurance go up 21% due to data in his LexisNexis report, which contained over 130 pages detailing six months of driving behavior.{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311090514/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html |title=Carmakers, Driver Tracking, and Insurance |publisher=The New York Times |date=2024-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311090514/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html |archive-date=2024-03-11 }}</ref> | ||
* '''Legislative Action''': Senators Ron Wyden and Edward Markey requested FTC investigation into automakers' deceptive practices, particularly focusing on GM's use of "dark patterns" and misleading interfaces to obtain nominal consent for data collection; an example of | * '''Legislative Action''': Senators Ron Wyden and Edward Markey requested FTC investigation into automakers' deceptive practices, particularly focusing on GM's use of "dark patterns" and misleading interfaces to obtain nominal consent for data collection; which has been characterized as an example of a [[EULA roofie]]<!-- term used needs changing at some point to whaterver we decide the 'official' term should be -->.<ref name="wydenletter1">Wyden, Ron and Markey, Edward. [https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/File:Signed_wyden_markey_letter_to_ftc_with_attachmentpdf.pdf1 Signed Wyden-Markey Letter to FTC with Attachment].</ref><ref name="wydenletter2">Wyden, Ron and Markey, Edward. [https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/File:Wyden-markey_auto_privacy_letter_to_ftc.pdf Wyden-Markey Auto Privacy Letter to FTC].</ref> Their investigation found that GM was selling data for pennies per vehicle - Honda received just 26 cents per car for data sold to Verisk, while Hyundai got 61 cents.<ref name="wydenletter2" /> | ||
* '''Texas Lawsuit''': In August 2024, the Texas Attorney General filed suit against GM and OnStar LLC for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit revealed that GM had collected data from over 14 million vehicles nationally and 1.8 million in Texas alone, while maintaining a network of over 300 dealerships that were incentivized to enroll customers in data collection programs through commissions.<ref name="texaslawsuit">{{cite web |url=https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/File:General_Motors_Original_Petition_Filestamped.pdf |title=General Motors Original Petition (Filestamped) |publisher=Rossmann Group Wiki}}</ref> | * '''Texas Lawsuit''': In August 2024, the Texas Attorney General filed suit against GM and OnStar LLC for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit revealed that GM had collected data from over 14 million vehicles nationally and 1.8 million in Texas alone, while maintaining a network of over 300 dealerships that were incentivized to enroll customers in data collection programs through commissions.<ref name="texaslawsuit">{{cite web |url=https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/File:General_Motors_Original_Petition_Filestamped.pdf |title=General Motors Original Petition (Filestamped) |publisher=Rossmann Group Wiki}}</ref> | ||