OnStar changes policies over privacy concerns
ALBANY, N.Y. - September 27, 2011
The service said Tuesday that customers' concerns prompted the
change.
"We realize that our proposed amendments did not satisfy our
subscribers," OnStar President Linda Marshall said. "We listened,
we responded and we hope to maintain the trust for our more than 6
million customers."
"We regret any confusion or concern we may have caused," she
said.
OnStar will no longer maintain its two-way connection with a
customer even after the service is discontinued. Customers will
also no longer have to take action to "opt out" of the data
collection system once they drop the service.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York said he was more than
concerned when he heard of OnStar's policy last week. He called it
"one of the most brazen invasions of privacy in recent memory"
and called for a federal investigation into the business practice.
"OnStar's decision is the right one and sets a good precedent
for the future," Schumer said Tuesday. "This announcement puts
decisions about personal privacy back where they belong, in the
hands of individuals [...] I applaud their responsiveness to our
concerns."
Under OnStar's new policy, former customers will be able choose
to stay connected. OnStar says that could allow urgent information
about disasters and recalls to be transmitted. It would also help
planning for future services, according to the company.
While OnStar is collecting information on the driving habits of
customers and ex-customers who choose to stay connected, it said it
hasn't sold or shared any of the data with other companies and has
no plans to do so.
