How G.M. Tricked Millions of Drivers Into Being Spied On (Including Me)

[Zorro]

Automakers have been selling data about the driving behavior of millions of people to the insurance industry. In the case of General Motors, affected drivers weren’t informed, and the tracking led insurance companies to charge some of them more for premiums. I’m the reporter who broke the story. I recently discovered that I’m among the drivers who was spied on.

My husband and I bought a G.M.-manufactured 2023 Chevrolet Bolt in December. This month, my husband received his “consumer disclosure files” from LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Verisk, two data brokers that work with the insurance industry and that G.M. had been providing with data. (He requested the files after my article came out in March, heeding the advice I had given to readers.)

My husband’s LexisNexis report had a breakdown of the 203 trips we had taken in the car since January, including the distance, the start and end times, and how often we hard-braked or accelerated rapidly. The Verisk report, which dated back to mid-December and recounted 297 trips, had a high-level summary at the top: 1,890.89 miles driven; 4,251 driving minutes; 170 hard-brake events; 24 rapid accelerations, and, on a positive note, zero speeding events.

I had requested my own LexisNexis file while reporting, but it didn’t have driving data on it. Though both of our names are on the car’s title, the data from our Bolt accrued to my husband alone because the G.M. dealership listed him as the primary owner.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/23/technology/general-motors-spying-driver-data-consent.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mk0.xdII.n4wRfsowMaw-&smid=url-share

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. All of the auto insurer's offer up good driver discounts. They play up that aspect when you plug in the dongle

to your OBD port.

I imagine that the data will also support increased insurance rates for the bad drivers.....but, the problem is, who's driving? Mom, Dad, or the 3 kids who have their licenses? And what generated the hard stop/accelerating events? Other bad drivers?

Hope regulators keep a close eye on how this info is used and/or abused.

[2naSalit]

4. That is the big question...

Who was driving? The data isn't complete enough, factors are missing, too many in fact, to get any kind of analysis from what they are gathering. All it tells you is what the vehicle experienced.

[OAITW r.2.0]

6. The answer is a sign on name and password.

A minor inconvenience, but quite helpful to the auto/insurance industry.

Off topic, have a pic to send you and will be starting a thread on the super-vine I am taking down. Half-way there (work wise, not post wise).

[snot]

5. I also object in that,

regardless of how accurate or inaccurate the data may be, buying a car should not constitute consent to being spied on.

Bear in mind that (1) they're also collecting data about where you're going, etc., and (2) they're selling your data to others, and/or your data can be leaked or hacked; in any case, it's out of your control.

[OAITW r.2.0]

7. Just spit-balling here, but....

I expect that - in the future - all the major auto guys will have a leg up on underwriting auto-insurance with easy financing credit. And they will have an industry advantage if they can get the auto-data. I think someday soon, you will have to sign on to drive your car.

[appalachiablue]

9. + 1. And health ins cos. Can they track how many steps

you take, how much time you spend on your phone, computer or tv. How much time do you walk, run, sit or sleep. And your weight, BP and other measurements. How far does this go.

[XanaDUer2]

2. So glad I have an ancient car nt

[snot]

10. If I could buy "dumb" everything, except for my desktop computer,

I would.

Not only do I prefer not to be spied on, but I waste a lot of time trying to undo the stupid stuff "smart" devices do that weren't what I wanted.

[happybird]

3. I did the Progressive one "voluntarily"

to receive a discount on my premiums. An app on my phone tracked everything.

What pissed me off was what the app considered a “hard brake.” For example, it dinged me pulling into a coworker’s driveway. She lived in a 25mph area, which I always observed because the town is a known speed trap. And, hey: safety. The turn into her driveway was a weird, uphill left. You have to creep and glide into that SOB. Bottom line: there was no hard brake. I also got dinged, many times, for hard stops while gently inching forward in stopped traffic at a stop sign at the bottom of an exit ramp.🤨

Don’t even get me started on all the dings for touching my phone while simply skipping songs. Ugh.

Somehow, with my multitude of reprimands, it rated me as a B+ driver.
Alrighty, then.

Figured there was more to it than monitoring if you are a safe driver.

[OAITW r.2.0]

8. The app, itself, might become an increasing factor in future accidents.

People focused on keeping their good driver rating in tact.