GM - Are They Violating Consumer Privacy Via OnStar?

Under a new set of Terms & Conditions, General Motors has begun collecting information about your driving habits and your car's location at their convenience. They collect this data whether you need assistance or not and are selling that information to anyone interested in buying it. Another terrible twist on the new policy is that the company continues to collect data even if you disconnect OnStar service.

You do not need a writer to spell out the possible implications, but are here a few anyway. Police departments that can track your speed without seeing your vehicle and issue tickets, banks shutting off your car for late payments, and insurance companies tracking your habits without your knowledge. The only way to stop it is to disconnect or remove your car's data connection.

To be fair, GM does have its side of the story. Joanne Finnorn, Vice President, Subscriber Services says, ''Under our new Terms and Conditions, when a customer cancels service, we have informed customers that OnStar will maintain a two-way connection to their vehicle unless they ask us not to do so. In the future, this connection may provide us with the capability to alert vehicle occupants about severe weather conditions such as tornado warnings or mandatory evacuations. Another benefit for keeping this connection 'open' could be to provide vehicle owners with any updated warranty data or recall issues. Of course, if the customer requests us to turn off the two-way connection, we will do as we have always done, and that is honor customers' requests.''