Have you ever wondered how your insurers determine the charge you get for car insurance? As it turns out, your driving data could've been part of the considered factors, and you may not even be aware that your car's automaker is giving them. That's the case for some GM car owners, and the company is trying to do damage control.
GM Rethinks Its Data Sharing Practice
After GM customers found out that their data is shared or is being shared with third parties like data brokers, the automaker received backlash for it. Other than the fact that they were not aware of the situation, it also affected the kind of insurance rate they would get.
In case you don't know, General Motors has an app called OnStar Smart Driver app that grades car owners based on their driving habits. It would provide the driver with feedback and would even give digital medals for a job well done.
Some agree to sign up for the app but are unaware of what signing up entails. What's worse is that according to Ars Technica, there are customers who did not sign up for the program at all, and the choice was made for them by salespeople when the vehicle was bought.
The data in question is shared with data brokers like LexisNexis or Verisk, which then provide that data to insurers to determine the cost of the car owner's insurance. Amidst the criticism, GM decided to end the process.
"As of March 20th, OnStar Smart Driver customer data is no longer being shared with LexisNexis or Verisk. Customer trust is a priority for us, and we are actively evaluating our privacy processes and policies," the automaker said in a statement.
Cadillac Owner Sues GM
A lot of GM vehicle owners decided to make their concerns heard by complaining, but a Cadillac XT6 resorted to bigger measures by suing the car company. The owner, Romeo Chicco, also included data broker LexisNexis Risk Solutions in the filed lawsuit.
Chicco requested his file from the data broker to see what kind of information was being shared without his knowledge and found that the distance he had driven, the time between trips, speed during travel, acceleration, and even hard braking were shared with insurers.
Due to his driving records, the XT6 owners said that he has been rejected by seven insurance companies. When he was finally accepted by one, Chicco's insurance rate was almost twice as much, as reported by The New York Times.
He too claimed that he never enrolled in the company's OnStar Smart Driver services and that he only downloaded the Cadillac app for his car. The car owner even had difficulties getting an answer from the company as to how he was enrolled in the first place.
GM spokesperson Malorie Lucich explained that when signing up for the program, there is a clause on the privacy statement that says customer data could be shared with third parties, although it still did not explain how some customers were enrolled without their knowledge.
