Sounds like a big NO from the privacy perspective. I hope this gets regulated to the point where these companies cannot offer a discount based on such intrusive tracking.
If you enable a random insurance company to have all data about where exactly you have been every moment of the day, you are giving up a lot of your privacy. And I bet the terms of service will be the standard "Oh, by the way, we are going to share this with all our partners" kind.
Why not regulate their use of the data (as opposed to preventing collection of it)?
I'm pretty sure lots of people will be happy to exchange the tracking data for lower rates, so there needs to be some justification if you want to prevent them from making that choice.
So what are the risks introduced by allowing the companies to make some use of the data? If you ban sharing or sale of the data, you still have the risk of a leak, but the companies could be encouraged to do things like discard the detailed information and only store 'events' or whatever. So discard that you drove on a particular freeway and instead store that you safely passed a medium distance on a limited access road (or store that you swerved abruptly multiple times on that length of limited access road).
> Why not regulate their use of the data (as opposed to preventing collection of it)?
If the Sec of State can't use top secret information appropriately, why should I trust that dozens of faceless agents, programmers, data scientists, actuaries, etc. are all using my data?
Everyone I know carries a cellphone. They track you everywhere you go, even when the gps is off. Ever wonder how Google provides its live traffic info? New cars have gps and cell radios. If they don't already report vehicle position I'm sure they will in a few years. It's probably already used by the three letter agencies. License plate scanning cameras are a commodity now.
Google, AT&T, Ford, and the NSA already know where you are at all times. What's one more?
Sure you could leave the cell phone at home and drive a 20 y/o car but that will become increasingly difficult and conspicuous. "Why are you driving that? Do you have something to hide?"
I don't see this trend as stoppable. I think the best we can do is to implement strong laws about how this information is stored and used. And honestly tracking where everyone drives can do a lot of good. It could allow for much more efficient and fair transportation taxes and eliminiate hit-and-runs for example.
> I think the best we can do is to implement strong laws about how this information is stored and used.
Given that those who would be responsible for enforcing those laws have already demonstrated that they don't mind breaking them themselves, I don't think that that could possibly work out.
> If you don't like it, don't get it. Why should government regulate it away so that people who do like it can't get a discount?
History tells us that scenarios like this are often the first steps towards mandating that everyone comply as the idea is accepted by the masses. Also, what's marketed as a discount today becomes the norm tomorrow and today's norm becomes a premium service in between.
If you enable a random insurance company to have all data about where exactly you have been every moment of the day, you are giving up a lot of your privacy. And I bet the terms of service will be the standard "Oh, by the way, we are going to share this with all our partners" kind.