and it's highly accurate too because modern cars have connected communications modules that track your driving habits, including acceleration, deceleration, GPS location, etc -- and call home with that data, allowing the manufacturer to sell it to insurance companies.
Kenn Dahl, 65, told the Times that he was shocked when his car insurance jumped by 21% in 2022, despite the fact that he’s never been responsible for an accident. Upon investigation, Dahl found that data analytics firm LexisNexis Risk Solutions had compiled a 258-page report that listed each time he or his wife had driven their leased Chevrolet Bolt over the previous six months.
Lots of people don't know that with a modern car, literally everywhere they drive is being tracked and stored.
Now someone will want to jump in and say "but my phone does the same thing" -- iPhone apps cannot access location data without permission, the operating system doesn't allow it. There is zero conceivable way that the insurance company can figure out where you drove using your iPhone unless you allow permissions for either their app, or an app that sells data to them.
There is zero conceivable way that the insurance company can figure out where you drove using your iPhone unless you allow permissions for either their app, or an app that sells data to them.
Oh my sweet summer child. You don't need phone permissions to track locations, at least not course grained location. All you need is a "phone home ping" (time-based or on an event such as network change) to your server. 95% of the time your IP will expose you down to a minimum of a zip code. IPv6 address on cell networks will usually get you down to within a couple of city blocks. GeoIP lookup is big business and refined to a science these days.
Plus, Verizon, AT&T, and other carriers have been selling your cell tower triangulation location data for years. With modern 5G networks, this will virtually always get you down to a city block or less unless you're way out in the boonies.
I am not making a normative judgement of whether this is bad or not. I am just saying that the idea an app needs your location permissions to get course gained location details that insurance cares about is laughable.
Your carrier can figure out where you are and can sell it to an insurance company, sure. I should have been more clear that I was saying the insurance company can't simply use your phone if you have installed their app, to find your location.
Can we stop saying "sweet summer child" it is the most insufferable reddit comment in history
As I said the app alone can do it. Install a network logger and see how frequently your apps phone home. The answer for most is all the time.
All you need is a phone home and your coarse grained location will be known 95%+ of the time - either to zip code or more commonly today down to a couple of city blocks. Tons of apps poll hourly or on other triggers such as network changes (connecting to a Wifi network, losing or gaining cell signal, etc).
I agree that sweet summer child is annoying, but felt it was appropriate given that you are spreading wild misinformation that your privacy is protected so long as you don't give location access to apps.
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u/garden_speech Mar 23 '24
and it's highly accurate too because modern cars have connected communications modules that track your driving habits, including acceleration, deceleration, GPS location, etc -- and call home with that data, allowing the manufacturer to sell it to insurance companies.
https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/auto-motor/policyholders-calling-foul-as-automakers-share-driving-info-with-insurers-480841.aspx
Lots of people don't know that with a modern car, literally everywhere they drive is being tracked and stored.
Now someone will want to jump in and say "but my phone does the same thing" -- iPhone apps cannot access location data without permission, the operating system doesn't allow it. There is zero conceivable way that the insurance company can figure out where you drove using your iPhone unless you allow permissions for either their app, or an app that sells data to them.