Senator Coons received word from OnStar today that it was reversing course on its decision to continue to track the locations of its customers and potentially sell that information to third parties even after those customers have terminated their service plans with the company.
“As location-based mobile technology becomes a larger part of consumers’ lives, it’s important that we’re vigilant about balancing convenience with privacy. I’m glad that OnStar heard our concerns and has decided to reverse course. OnStar’s announcement today is an important step toward restoring the trust consumers had placed in it, and I hope that other companies learn from this experience. Systems that automatically track users’ locations should, by default, protect their users’ privacy. Sensitive personal information should not be for sale without users’ explicit consent.”
Last week, Chris sent a letter to OnStar with Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) urging the in-vehicle navigation system provider to undo controversial changes to its terms and conditions that it planned to roll out in December.
Senator Coons and Senator Franken are both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over laws relating to the use and distribution of consumer information by businesses.
You can read OnStar’s press release announcing the reveral here.