. “Relying on consumers to fill in the critical, but sometimes non-obvious or unknown, details for their insurer to then assess risk and provide an appropriate premium back to the consumer can be a cumbersome and unreliable proposition,” a Lexis Nexis spokesman told Insurance Business when promoting the service. Chicco, presumably following legal advice, has refrained from further comments post-lawsuit filing.
GM’s OnStar reports data after every drive, including specific driving behavior data, including hard braking events, hard acceleration events, speeds over 80 miles per hour, average speed, late night driving, seat belt usage, when and where these events occur, and the number of miles driven.
The controversy has caught the attention of experts like Georgetown law professor David Vladeck, who, speaking to the NY Times warned “Just wait for the avalanche. It’s coming.”
The debate has also caught the attention of lawmakers - Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey has already asked the Federal Trade Commission to take a close look at the practice. “With new advances in vehicle technology and services, automakers have been vacuuming up huge amounts of data on drivers, passengers, and even individuals outside the vehicle,” he wrote. “Based on public reporting and responses to my own inquiries into these practices, automakers face few, if any, limitations on the collection, use, and disclosure of this data. Consumers are often left in the dark. I therefore urge the FTC to investigate the automakers’ data practices and take all necessary actions to protect the privacy of all road users.”