Not sure if this is new but good news for drivers.


https://www.freep.com/story/money/ca...t/77752721007/

 

And, next week it will probably all change, anyway.

 

GM ended the practice last year.

 

We need better data privacy laws.

 

Very good news - shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

 

Has anyone here talked about the OTHER Apps that were doing the same thing?

A big one that I had on my phone was FuelRewards. I put it on my phone when I installed the Shell app because I want to run toptier fuel. The Shell app was misleading and made it sound like I needed to install FR to get the discount on gas fills.
Turns out, FR has been doing the same thing using the accelerometer data from your phone and selling the data to brokers and insurance companies. If I were you, I'd uninstall FuelRewards ASAP.

 

Defendants worked to Integrate the Arity SDK into Mobile Apps[edit | edit source]

The Texas Attorney General's lawsuit asserts that Arity and Allstate established financial arrangements with applications including Routely, Life360, GasBuddy, and Fuel Rewards to incorporate their SDK. While direct evidence of these arrangements is not presented in the legal documentation, the following economic factors support this business model:

1. The substantial market value of driving behavior data
2. Financial incentives for app developers to participate in data monetization
3. Arity's strategic interest in expanding their driver data collection network

Arity actively markets their SDK integration services to businesses and developers.[10] Documentation of Arity's app integration exists through:

1. Public confirmation of the GasBuddy partnership through Arity's press releases[11]
2. Detailed case study documentation of Life360's implementation of Arity's technology[12][13]

Arity's claims about usage of data[edit | edit source]

The lawsuit references Arity's terms of service regarding data utilization, specifically citing their privacy policy[7]:
Arity shares your information with its business clients as part of your purchase, or use, of services from those business clients. Those business clients include, but are not limited to, insurance companies as well as mobile app providers who track the location of members of a defined group or who provide weather related information. If you have purchased an insurance product offered by an Arity business client, then your information may also be used by that business client to calculate insurance rates or rewards provided under the product or service. Our insurance company business clients may also use your information to update their pricing and underwriting models. All such use of your personal information by our business clients is subject to their privacy policies and not this Privacy Statement.

Drivers not knowingly consenting to these terms[edit | edit source]

The terms of service present significant consent issues:

"Arity shares your information with its business clients as part of your purchase, or use, of services from those business clients."[7][edit | edit source]

This arrangement presents substantial privacy concerns, illustrated through the following scenario:

1. A user (James) engages with an Arity business client's application
2. James lacks awareness of Arity's existence
3. The business client omits disclosure of Arity's data handling practices
4. This creates an inherent impossibility of informed consent to Arity's privacy policy

"If you have purchased an insurance product offered by an Arity business client, then your information may also be used by that business client to calculate insurance rates or rewards provided under the product or service."[7]

https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/...gh_mobile_apps

I searched forum, didn't see this news here. Read the link, more shocking news I tell you! Shocking! haha!!!!

 

While its true that GM ostensibly stopped the practice a while back, the FTCs involvment seems new - the article is dated Jan 2025. And I think a key issue, evident in the article too, is the "pernission". GM claimed, and still does I think, that owners did give permission. And the problem is most owners were not aware of giving such permission. It came from dealers and sales reps entering data while doing new car delivery, or from owners setting up their car can clicking certain items during set up that GM claims gave permission. Specifically not clear was that GM was selling the data to insurance companies and credit reporting agencies - and the data were essentially summaries of driver behavior based on GMs arbitrary thresholds for aggressive acceleration, braking, speed, and so on. Insurance companies were using those data to raise rates, with no analysis to show any correlation whatsoever between GMs summary information and resulting insurance risk. So, its a case of obtaining permission surreptitiously, summarizing it using arbitrary threshold, and then being used to raise rates without any evidence to support correlation between the data and insurance risk.

 

I'm surprised no one has sued the insurance companies for using illegally-obtained data...

 

I'm probably in the small minority of C8 buyers that checked their OnStar settings and shut off the safe driver option.

I was however looking specifically for data that might be online in onstar because I had a suspicion about my "courtesy delivery" delay that was being stretch for weeks after my C8 was showing at the CD dealer address. I got the chart/graphic data that I wanted that included hard acceleration and braking events, and then I switched off the "service".

I was somewhat stunned back then that it had been activated and long before I had taken delivery of my vehicle. I certainly did not "opt in" for this data to be gathered, but in my case I am happy that it was.

 

Only because of the outcry from owners and media exposure. Otherwise GM would be happily still collecting all the driving data they can harvest and selling it to the highest bidder.

 

This stuff is why we need a strong FTC. Should have never been legal.

 

...my dealer apparently signed me up for all of the OnStar stuff the day before I arrived to pick up the car. Had NO idea. Once all the info came to light middle-late 2023, I checked and sure enough, I was signed up without my knowledge. I got my reports from the agencies GM was selling my data too and they got a good month's worth of info that didn't make me look very flattering to insurance companies. I'm just waiting for the class action suits to start working their way through the courts and I plan to jump right it! Furious GM sold me a C8 that's a VERY capable sports car, but then turned around and sold my data to the insurance companies because I dared to drive it in a manner it was designed to be driven!

 

I don't drive crazy on the street, but I also track my car. Their data will not differentiate on-road vs on-track driving events.
Same for FuelRewards, apparently it has been tracking me and since I have my phone with me when I am tracking my car, it has some pretty aggressive driving data I am quite sure.

If you join the class action, you'll get a lollipop and a thank you note from a lawfirm.

 

You are correct, gm got busted by The NY Times. When they announced they were discontinuing the practice they also announced the hiring of a CPO (chief privacy officer) and a talked about “customer trust” which was a joke. What surprised me and still causes great concern… no one lost their job… which indicates the practice of stealing, grading and selling customers private data was not some rogue unauthorized operation but approved at the highest levels.

The FTC announcement is clear that gm broke the law and mislead customers. They have a massive legal team, how did this practice get by gm legal?How did no one get fired? Because the CEO approved and they aren’t firing her…

 

…I don’t know…I did just get $14 from the Verizon class action lawsuit where I paid excess fees for years apparently…🤦‍♂️😡

 

)(&#%)(&% life360. Sigh. If you use this, go to settings > privacy and security > your privacy choices, scroll to the bottom, disable PERSONAL INFORMATION SALES.