Facing possible inquiry, OnStar drops 'Big Brother' plans

[IDemo]

Source: msnbc.com

Facing intense criticism from Capitol Hill and calls for a government investigation, General Motors’ OnStar division has dropped plans that would have allowed it to track detailed personal driving information about both current and former subscribers.

The telematics subsidiary had advised users that it was changing its terms and conditions to permit it to track a vehicle’s speed, location and other data including whether or not a motorist was wearing a seatbelt. A driver who dropped OnStar would still be linked to the service unless specifically opting out. And the company said it reserved the right to sell that information to third-party marketers or even government and law enforcement agencies.

New York’s powerful Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer termed the move a “brazen” invasion of privacy and called for an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Facing mounting criticism from other government and private quarters, OnStar said it has canceled its policy change and will not maintain a link to customers who quit the service.

“We realize that our proposed amendments did not satisfy our subscribers,” said OnStar President Linda Marshall in a prepared statement. “This is why we are leaving the decision in our customers’ hands. We listened, we responded and we hope to maintain the trust of our more than 6 million customers.”

Read more: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/27/7994978-facing-possible-inquiry-onstar-drops-big-brother-plans

[Omaha Steve]

1. I called OnStar and complained last Friday

I guess maybe it did some good. Will will keep OnStar on our two cars.

[onehandle]

3. FYI: I have OnStar free for six months.

You know what I'm talking about.

:)

[rhett o rick]

2. I can hear George Orwell snickering. nm

[kestrel91316]

4. As if it wasn't bad enough that GM makes CRAPPY CARS.......

[customerserviceguy]

5. Yeah, that's what they tell you

Only way to avoid being spied on by OnStar, don't get a car with it. Preferably not a GM product that already has it built in.

[Skip Intro]

8. exactly nt

[buckrogers1965]

6. I would never buy a car with on star

or any similar system. If a car came with a GPS unit built in, I would take a pair of wire cutters and remove it.

The USA works hand in hand with big business to track everything you do. Don't make it easy by paying for your own tracking devices.

[Historic NY]

7. Good luck with that..there are various versions of the technology.

[Goldom]

9. Ordinary GPS systems cannot track you.

OnStar is another matter, because that's what they do. But plain 'ol GPS receivers do not transmit any data, merely receive locations of the satellites.

[Honeycombe8]

11. You sure about that? I have navigation. I'm getting paranoid about being tracked.

Not that I'm doing anything wrong. But ever since the Patriot Act passed, I've been developing this sense of being tracked and watched and videotaped, etc. It's creeping me out.

[buckrogers1965]

14. I'm talking about the built in ones with data connections to the phone network

Those most certainly can track you.

But that is built into most phones now too, and the phones also track you.

[AmBlue]

10. Hey man... Zuckerburg put them up to it!!

That way OnStar and FaceBook could be BFFs!!! REALLY. I'd like to know HOW this is different from FaceBook following our comings and goings over the internet???

INVASION OF PRIVACY. PERIOD.

[christx30]

12. Because you can decide

on a comment by comment basis what you put on facebook. You don't have to tell all of your family that you are on the way to the plant store or whatever you do with your time.

[AmBlue]

15. No, now FaceBook is following us...

Where you go on the internet, what you're linking to... even when you aren't on FaceBook.

[No Elephants]

13. Resign yourselves, once and for all: Privacy is thing of the past.

And wave bye to the Fourth Amendment.

May as well.

That's been a joke since at least the Patriot Act, and probably before.

It's a brave new world.

[FiveGoodMen]

16. That world isn't really worth living in.