The controversy surrounding the change in OnStar’s user policy has roused the ire of the American senate, which sees it as a major invasion of privacy.
Senators Charles Schumer (New York), Al Franken (Minnesota) and Christopher Coons (Delaware) lashed out this weekend against the fact that the company will continue to collect the data of users who have cancelled their OnStar subscription.
Schumer asked the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation on the new policy, which will be coming into effect on December 1, and wrote to OnStar president Linda Marshall urging her to reverse the decision.
“By tracking drivers even after they’ve cancelled their service, OnStar is attempting one of the most brazen invasions of privacy in recent memory,” he noted.
As for Franken and Coons, they both believe OnStar’s position underscores the necessity of passing legislation to protect the information of consumers online, including their location.
They also sent a letter to OnStar, asking if it had experienced any leaks and what it was doing to protect the information and keep it from falling in the wrong hands.
"OnStar's actions appear to violate basic principles of privacy and fairness for OnStar's approximately six million customers – especially for those customers who have already ended their relationships with your company," they wrote.
As for OnStar, it denies tracking drivers, saying it does not continuously monitor people’s speed or location.
In a Twitter message, OnStar said it wasn’t spying on anyone, wasn’t making any money from the user data collected and wasn’t selling personal information either.
Vice president of OnStar subscriber services Joanne Finnorn also said in a press release last week that privacy is important to her company. “We want to make sure we get the balance right on that,” Finnorn commented, adding I will use its “customer’s information in a way that they are OK with”.
Sources:The Detroit News, Automotive News
Senators Charles Schumer (New York), Al Franken (Minnesota) and Christopher Coons (Delaware) lashed out this weekend against the fact that the company will continue to collect the data of users who have cancelled their OnStar subscription.
 |
| Photo: General Motors |
Schumer asked the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation on the new policy, which will be coming into effect on December 1, and wrote to OnStar president Linda Marshall urging her to reverse the decision.
“By tracking drivers even after they’ve cancelled their service, OnStar is attempting one of the most brazen invasions of privacy in recent memory,” he noted.
As for Franken and Coons, they both believe OnStar’s position underscores the necessity of passing legislation to protect the information of consumers online, including their location.
They also sent a letter to OnStar, asking if it had experienced any leaks and what it was doing to protect the information and keep it from falling in the wrong hands.
"OnStar's actions appear to violate basic principles of privacy and fairness for OnStar's approximately six million customers – especially for those customers who have already ended their relationships with your company," they wrote.
As for OnStar, it denies tracking drivers, saying it does not continuously monitor people’s speed or location.
In a Twitter message, OnStar said it wasn’t spying on anyone, wasn’t making any money from the user data collected and wasn’t selling personal information either.
Vice president of OnStar subscriber services Joanne Finnorn also said in a press release last week that privacy is important to her company. “We want to make sure we get the balance right on that,” Finnorn commented, adding I will use its “customer’s information in a way that they are OK with”.
Sources:The Detroit News, Automotive News