Slashdot Mirror
Carmakers Keep Data On Drivers' Locations From Navigation Systems
cold fjord writes "The Detroit News reports, 'A government report finds that major automakers are keeping information about where drivers have been — collected from onboard navigation systems — for varying lengths of time. Owners of those cars can't demand that the information be destroyed. And, says the U.S. senator requesting the investigation, that raises questions about driver privacy. The Government Accountability Office in a report released Monday found major automakers have differing policies about how much data they collect and how long they keep it. Automakers collect location data in order to provide drivers with real-time traffic information, to help find the nearest gas station or restaurant, and to provide emergency roadside assistance and stolen vehicle tracking. But, the report found, "If companies retained data, they did not allow consumers to request that their data be deleted, which is a recommended practice."'"
All across America, well polished and maintained '57 Chevy convertibles just got that much cooler.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Am I the only one who read that as the car makers are somehow not letting the nav system know the driver's location?
You could have saved yourself a lot of time and money by simply just pulling the dedicated fuse for the OnStar box or alternatively disconnecting the OnStar box from power.
The question should be, who else are these companies selling the data to and in what form?
We sell it to whomever we wish, and most folks want it as an Excel spreadsheet. Any other questions?