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OEMs aren't just connecting cars for the fun of it; the idea is to actually improve their customers' experience with the cars. But right now, we're still missing an actual killer app—and to be honest, data on how many customers renew those cell contracts for their vehicles. A survey out this week from Solace that polled 1,500 connected car owners found that they still don't really trust the technology.
[...] But the bit of Solace's survey I found most interesting was the widespread ignorance regarding data collection. Only 38 percent of connected car drivers knew that their cars could store personally identifiable information [PII] about them, with 48 percent unaware this was the case. And that's important because that PII is being viewed as a goldmine.
[...] "[The fuel companies] want to offer you more than fuel," [Ben] Volkow said. "Many times, the fuel stations are also interested in anonymized data—why do some people always stop, do they take whatever's available or a specific brand, places to build new stations, and so on."
What's more, unlike selling cars, selling data is a high-margin business—between 80- and 90-percent profit. "A big part of the investment is already done," he said. "The databases are built, SIMs and modems are in the cars; they've crossed the Rubicon."
[...] Volkow thinks that drivers will be happy to share this data, as long as they get some value out of it, like free servicing or micropayments per mile traveled. But he also thinks consumer education is vital. "People tend to be more demanding when it comes to cars; they don't think of them as the same as mobile devices. You have to convince them there's a benefit," he told me.
Source: ArsTechnica
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Arik on Saturday February 24 2018, @03:01AM (13 children)
I can only speak for myself, I'm afraid some of you will prove him right, in your case.
In mine, he's absolutely wrong. Because I understand.
He doesn't need to track *me* to track seasonal etc. variations in demand. Input and output by site is sufficient for the legitimate uses he posits. There is absolutely no need to introduce individual tracking to provide that value.
The cases where individual tracking is valuable are much more rare, and tend to be a bit nefarious.
A decent person would consciously avoid enabling them.
Best I can figure the last decent person on earth must have expired around the time of my 3rd birthday.
*sigh*
Please, prove me wrong.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Saturday February 24 2018, @03:09AM (6 children)
People who know that their car tracks them will not drive recklessly, for fear of fines and insurance costs.
By not driving dangerously, they are likely to save the children.
All should want to save the children.
Enjoy your future tracking, and your info being sold to the highest bidder, for it helps to save the children.
40000 people are killed on the road every year in the US, despite the highest density of cops in any civilized country. You can easily save 20000 lives a year by making sanction automatic through tracking.
Fuck your freedom, we can save lives!
What? They could vote D more than R, because richer people are less likely to get killed on the road ?
Screw that! Kill the children!
Conclusion: if you want to save your freedom, not matter what its cost is, make it a partisan issue.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Saturday February 24 2018, @03:51AM (3 children)
It's almost as if you didn't realize that simply having cops does nothing at all to reduce the causes of negligent driving?
Oh, what's that? Genuine retard. Geeze, sorry, carry on then good chap!
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday February 24 2018, @06:49AM
Somebody did something bad. A car was involved. You know where. You know approximately when. You do not know who.
Database query: Give me list of all cars in this spot between these times.
Helps narrow down the search quite a bit... eh?
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Saturday February 24 2018, @07:37AM (1 child)
Arik, I think you completely missed bob_super's point. He was being sardonic (mostly). He was mocking the tracking and excessive policing by pointing out the absurd justifications being given for govt. heavy-handedness.
(Score: 4, Funny) by aristarchus on Saturday February 24 2018, @09:10AM
Super_bob? Unheard of! Unlikely! Was he not rather being sarcastic? Or possibly pedantic? Or suasively sardine-ic? Something is fishy.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Saturday February 24 2018, @08:08PM (1 child)
I'm forced to disagree with you. Some, probably many, people are skilled in certain areas and clueless in others. I've known an excellent mechanic who is a lousy and reckless driver. I've observed many who appear to fit into that categorization.
Look, just let me ask how current are your personal backups? You *know* that backups are important, yet most people don't keep them current. It doesn't matter how skilled you are. Well, it does matter. If you're skilled you have the capability to keep your backups current. But this sure doesn't mean you do. (Mine are currently three days old, not bad, but they should be more current.)
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday February 26 2018, @04:06AM
You've missed the point, which was best illustrated in "the fifth element": future systems will directly rat you to the cops and insurance company.
Just went over the speed limit? Here's a little voice replacing your music or phone, telling you how much the ticket will be.
Even if not instantaneous: Drive all day, get home to a mail from your insurance agent telling you that you've been bumped into the next higher rate based today's car report.
How many times will people get their wallet tazed before they start to comply? The ones who don't will quickly lose their license. Did you know you will have to scan your license for your car to start? You had better be in the same weight ballpark as the license says, or it won't...
Welcome to the future, citizen... Technology will save lives. You may resume singing silly songs about freedom.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 24 2018, @03:13AM (4 children)
And no-one will rebel, because they will all be told that 'by letting us track you, you save 5 bucks on your insurance premium' and everyone will wet their panties right then and there. Short term gain for the win! Are you telling me that I can save 5/half-year bucks now even though it'll cost me 1000 bucks in the future? Jesus fucking Christ, where the fuck do I go to sign up right now using my own blood? /That/ will be how 95 to 99 percent of everyone will react!
'We' think about as far ahead as the lifespan of a butterfly these days; that's one of the big problems we need to tackle. Fix that and stupid shit like what this article describes wouldn't fly anymore... (I can hope that that would at least be the case, can't I?)
(Score: 1) by tftp on Saturday February 24 2018, @05:53AM (3 children)
(Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday February 24 2018, @07:04AM (2 children)
I will pay you $10/year for exclusively using my .MP3 player.
Terms of Business:
1) You have no other program capable of playing .MP3. You hold this application harmless for any damages resulting from going through your computer to delete any programs it finds that may abrogate this agreement.
2) You agree to always have internet connectivity so my player can report to the MPAA what song you are playing and if it is licensed to you.
3) You agree the party receiving the premium is totally responsible for any copyright infringement we may suspect.
For a limited time only, the hand of business is extended. Act now while available. In a few minutes, the hand will retract and you will have lost out on the opportunity to shake the hand.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 1) by tftp on Saturday February 24 2018, @07:33AM (1 child)
(Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday February 24 2018, @08:47AM
I have trackers on some of my stuff. ( actually Android primitives. ). They are for MY use.
I have seen them for quite some time to tell parents where their kid is... ( or where their spouse is! ).
If you have an account with TING, you can add extra SIM cards cheap. They have a modest - something like $6 monthly "cover charge" per active SIM, and additional services, calls, SMS, internet is extra, with all activity from all sims lumped together to make the bill.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 27 2018, @01:00AM
Arik, why do you always wrap your entire comments in the "tt" tag? Are your comments so special that they need to stand out from the comments made by other users? The use of a different font disrupts the visual flow. This may be your intention, but I for one can never be bothered reading comments formatted like that (even if they're marked as +5 insightful). It's a PITA.