“The New York Times” just did a big story on how car companies have started sharing our driving data with insurers. They pay for the data. And if they don’t like how you’re driving, they’ll up your rates . . . or even DOUBLE them.
The article mainly talks about G.M. But most of the major car companies are doing it now. They basically trick you into using free apps. And the fine print . . . which no one reads . . . says they can share your data with “third parties.”
One app called “OnStar Smart Driver” is pushed as something to “help you become a better driver.” G.M. confirmed they use it to share “select insights” about “hard braking,” “hard accelerating,” and any time you drive over 80.
If you enabled it, you can unenroll at any time. But you might not even know you signed up. Car dealers get bonuses now if THEY sign you up. You wouldn’t know unless you looked at the fine print REALLY carefully.
Folks in D.C. are aware of it. Just last month, Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey said it could be illegal under the Federal Trade Commission Act as a “deceptive” business practice. But so far, nothing’s been done.
Industry experts say if car companies want to do this, they at least need to be upfront about it, and give us a warning we’ll actually see.
It’s not a rare thing, by the way. They’re tracking millions of drivers. So if your insurance rate went up recently, that might be why.
