Gas Buddy PSA

[Jazzer]

Lawsuit: Allstate used GasBuddy and other apps to quietly track driving behavior

With connected cars and revenue-hungry apps, insurers are flush with data.

arstechnica.com

 

[JoshT]

Makes me glad that I dropped Allstate for auto insurance. Also glad that I never installed Allstate or any of those other apps on my phone.

 

[sgtsandman]

They all try to get you in some way. I have the Credit Karma app on my phone and they are constantly trying to get me to allow them to monitor my driving so I can potentially save on insurance and get a better credit score.

I tried that junk once with one of those plug in things that plug into your OBD II port. I did everything perfect enough for them but still got dinged because I had the nerve to go to work too early. So, it wouldn't have cost me anything since the "discount" would have negated the service charge but there would be something constantly snooping and monitoring every little move I made. Screw that. Even if it gave me a decent discount. I get tracked enough with my phone and companies snooping on my internet habits while I'm on the computer.

 

[John97]

Tracking is where it's at for everyone and everything now. We have GPS trackers in the company vehicles as do most companies. Allegedly it was just for an insurance discount but management quickly used it to micro-manage everyone, after of course denying that was going to happen.

I have Travelers and they gave a pretty solid discount of we installed a tracker app on our phones for 30 days to monitor driving habits and to make sure you weren't using your phone while driving. I went along with it because the discount is substantial and it was a one-time 30-day period. My wife works local, so he doesn't put on miles. My personal truck sits alot because I have a company work truck that racks 30-40K miles a year. This coming Thanksgiving will be six years and the odometer just cracked 38K miles (I bought it with 6K).

After 30 days, the app gets uninstalled. My agent told me one of the main reasons is they want to make sure people aren't doing Uber/Lyft/Doordash type stuff without reporting that they are doing so. This is one way to weed that out.

I installed the app on my personal phone and simply left it at home when I was working so it wouldn't record my work driving. Anyone who needed to reach me could do so via the work phone. Allegedly, you could tag trips in the app where you were a passenger and/or driving a different vehicle other than your own. I didn't trust that, so what I did worked perfectly.

This was four years ago. I'm about to renew our annual policy for a fifth year, of course pending the cost. If it's out of line, I'll shop again. But nobody has been able to come close enough to justify switching companies.

 

[MISWFL]

Now with the Flock BS, it's going to be really hard to avoid total surveillance. I'm sure all the insurance companies are buying Flock data and using AI to profile drivers.

 

[Roert42]

If someone is offering you something for free, then it's your information that is being sold.

Their free app or free whatever is just a way for them to get your information so they can sell it.


Been happening forever. "fill out this quick survey and get a free (hat, sandwich, gift card, ect)"

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

When the day comes that we have to fight the robits, some of you will be thankful that you've put up with my weird, neurotic ass all these years.

 

[oldgeek]

TANSTAAFL

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

When the day comes that we have to fight the robits, some of you will be thankful that you've put up with my weird, neurotic ass all these years.

A little shop of horrors for the new age?

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

Flock cameras are being removed and/or destroyed faster than they can put them uo now. Several towns in my state have terminated contracts, and in FL, DeSantis said "no Flock cameras on any highway in FL." They're coming down, and I urge everyone to get involved.

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

Flock cameras are being removed and/or destroyed faster than they can put them up now. Several towns in my state have terminated contracts, and in FL, DeSantis said "no Flock cameras on any highway in FL." They're coming down, and I urge everyone to get involved. A lot of times the police get these things without telling the local government.

 

[sgtsandman]

Apparently, the PA State police are starting to use drones as well.

I don't know what these police departments are thinking, but it's becoming more and more evident that at least some of them aren't thinking about constitutional protections/prohibitions or they are thinking about it and don't care they are violating them and will continue to do it until the court system makes them stop.

And some municiplaities are switching from Flock to other companies because of the attention Flock is getting.

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

...some municiplaities are switching from Flock to other companies because of the attention Flock is getting.

It's not just Flock, and these damn people need to understand that we are against the principles behind it, not the brand name!

 

[Roert42]

Hearing on the news daily about police/ dispatchers/ whoever being arrested for using the databases improperly. Mostly stalking their ex- wives / husbands / girlfriends/ whatever.


They’re not going away. The government will just get better that they’re there, so you don’t notice them as much.


Supposedly the search queries are available publicly to help put checks in place for people who abuse the system. I’m sure that will be going away soon.

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

OMDB.