SENSE BC

"Six years ago, I already hated the idea. Voluntarily giving up so much private information in exchange for so little made no sense to me. It’s very much in line with the thinking “if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about.” That is probably the most sinister slippery slope of all, and one getting progressively worse. A government bill that would allow insurance companies to opt-out of getting your permission toopt-in is alarming.

When it was first introduced, insurance companies like Allstate were fierce in their defence the information collected would only be used to reward good drivers with reduced rates, and never to punish bad ones. Hogwash. In an industry that is chasing every penny, do you really think the bucks used to reward some won’t be paid out on the backs of others? There is no imaginary pot of bonus money waiting to be pulled from. Look at that opening quote again: you will be considered a bad driver (and assigned higher rates) unless you allow the squeal box or app in your car. That’s not voluntary, that’s voluntold.

Dr. Ann Caoukian is one of the world’s leading privacy experts. She agrees something that was once a carrot is now a stick. “People don’t understand what they’re signing up for. They don’t read the legalese, but the implications of this kind of technology can come back to haunt you.”

“They are so hesitant to opt-out because they want to save money, which I understand,” she says, noting the initial rollout of usage-based metrics was one thing, but if your insurance company opts to do what this proposed legislation will allow them to do – make it not something you choose, but something your company insists on – your only option will be changing companies. But what if they all do it? "

I know we’re headed this way eventually. I still don’t like it. And if we’re just frogs in a pot, we should still pay attention to how hot the water is getting.

ALBERTA ADOPTS NO-FAULT INSURANCE FOR VEHICLE DAMAGE AND OTHER CHANGES DESIGNED TO REDUCE COSTS

Orwell’s snitch society; a bill to share parking fines.

Who thinks this will win GM new customers? "General Motors will start selling car insurance again, this time using data its cars collects from customers' driving habits to determine their rates.

Drivers who obey speed limits and show other good road behaviors will receive lower rates, the company said Wednesday."

In other news...