By Steven Symes 
General Motors is sitting with its tail between its legs after it was caught gathering, then selling drivers’ data to insurance companies and others. Now the Federal Trade Commission is proposing an order that would ban the automaker from sharing driving info collected through a vehicle. It’s the first step in what we hope will become industry reform.
Another EV startup has shuttered forever.
As we’ve covered repeatedly, automakers and other companies are capturing data about where you go, how fast you drive, how hard you brake, how high of a volume you listen to music, etc. Some of this is used for insurance companies to justify jacking up drivers’ premiums, something you probably have felt recently.
While a New York Times article garnered attention after it was widely know for years GM and other automakers have been data harvesting, it seems people are finally paying attention. Before, many said they didn’t have anything to hide or their lives were too boring to care about their personal data.
Even if you’re a nobody in society, we don’t think automakers, insurance companies, software developers, or even the government has a right to know your every move and driving habit. It’s so invasive and that information in the wrong hands could be used in such nefarious ways the whole practice needs to be outlawed.
In the meantime, you better believe other automakers at minimum are noticing what’s happening with GM. According to the FTC, not only would the proposed order stop GM from sharing drivers’ data, consumers would have to give express affirmative consent before any data can be collected.
Furthermore, consumers will be able to get a copy of the data that’s been collected and order that it is deleted forever. A way for consumers to limit what data is collected from their vehicle is also part of the proposal.
Image via GM