Big Brother

Colossus · March 16, 2017

And your claims get denied if you have been in an accident and they find out you screwed with the black box

06pirate · March 16, 2017

My 2007 Suzuki DL650 motorcycle has pretty much the same warning in the owner's manual. It does not actively transmit real-time data, but it stores several minutes of data which "may be accesible to law-enforcement or other personnel" in the event of an accident. Most newer vehicles are monitored this way now, have been for some time.

Most of what you do is seen, heard, or monitored in some way. Just wait until your kids (or grandkids) will be REQUIRED to have a GPS chip implanted for their safety.

Your Smart TV sends viewing info back to Samsung, they know what you are watching, and can see and hear you in your home using the TV's built-in camera and mic:

https://betanews.com/2015/02/19/samsung-lied-its-smart-tv-is-indeed-spying-on-you-and-it-is-doing-nothing-to-stop-that/

https://www.cnet.com/news/samsungs-warning-our-smart-tvs-record-your-living-room-chatter/

And I'm sure that by clicking those weblinks, Samsung now knows we are viewing that info, and will follow our computer data to find out where we live and work, and what trucks we drive........damn.

I hope you all have black tape over the Skype camera in your laptops?

Heavy 5.7 · March 16, 2017

There has been a stampede of people to obtain the amazon echo, big brother isn't intruding, he's being invited.

Heavy 5.7 · March 16, 2017

But, I hadn't heard of insurance companies using it

yet.

Joe 121 · March 17, 2017

When I saw Progressive Insurance passing out that little fob to plug into your car, I expected the rest of the Insurance companies to follow. It appears they don't have to.

I am going to look into disconnecting the OnStar feed. Maybe I can regain some control.

Colossus · March 17, 2017

Hopefully no one on here is dumb enough to go with a company named Progressive. For many reasons.

Heavy 5.7 · March 17, 2017

I am going to look into disconnecting the OnStar feed. Maybe I can regain some control.

"Smart" phones bother me a lot more than onstar.

06pirate · March 18, 2017

Perhaps there are some things that just DON'T need to be "bluetooth enabled". This is just plain weird:

http://www.businessinsider.com/sex-toy-company-we-vibe-was-fined-c4-million-for-spying-on-its-customers-through-their-smart-vibrators-2017-3?&platform=bi-androidapp

Chris · March 18, 2017

Perhaps there are some things that just DON'T need to be "bluetooth enabled". This is just plain weird:

http://www.businessinsider.com/sex-toy-company-we-vibe-was-fined-c4-million-for-spying-on-its-customers-through-their-smart-vibrators-2017-3?&platform=bi-androidapp

The amount of use and intensity make sense for them to improve on their product. What is weird is they record body temp

Cowpie · March 18, 2017

Even if it doesn't broadcast the info on what you were doing, event recording, speed, braking, etc.... most every vehicle being made, law enforcement, insurance, etc can plug in and get all the data stored up. Been that way for a long time. No, it isn't big brother, it is little black box.

Dnt · March 18, 2017

We all know that times have changed and the old Bengie quote no longer applies in this computer age man! Quote "anyone whom gives up a freedom for the sake of safety deserves neither freedom nor safety" silly philosophical icon.................the modern gumit is fixin U good boy. Trust them.

Likarok · March 19, 2017

Now all this being said the girls at On-Star could not find me when I was down in Montana. I expect it was a stupid operator that was the issue but they were of absoloutly no assistance to me!

Dnt · March 19, 2017

Please forward the exact GPS coordinates as this might be one of the last OnStar free zones on earth and we should gather at this mecca

Heavy 5.7 · March 19, 2017

We all know that times have changed and the old Abraham Lincoln quote no longer applies in this computer age man! Quote "anyone whom gives up a freedom for the sake of safety deserves neither freedom nor safety" silly historical president.................the modern gumit is fixin U good boy. Trust them.

*

Benjamin Franklin

lol, please carry on...

SnakeEyeSS · March 19, 2017

If you're involved in a lawsuit, a plaintiff against you could file a discovery motion to acquire whatever data is recorded, wherever it resides, whether in your onboard NVM or at some OnStar server. But, I hadn't heard of insurance companies using it for common claims. Maybe the big stuff with serious injury/death lawsuits?

Knew a GM master Tech, and back when the F bodies were still knew they had a guy claim "they airbag just went off" and caused him to wreck his new WS6. So they took the black box data, and went to the scene to investigate for GM. They looked at where he crashed, and the data.

The guy was driving something like 90 mph, and there was a front bumper impact registered. Then ABS, then another impact. They found tire marks after the crest of a hill, before he hit the tree. They figured out he crested a hill, and HAD to have caught air at that speed, and the front bumper tapped the road(marks from it), upon inspection of the car again, there was scratches from when it bottomed out.

Claim denied.