Why not apply that to everything you do, all day, everywhere?

Would you say that if cops went on "fishing expeditions" with you?

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Don't know, but it squicks me in a visceral way. If you have nothing to hide, would you like someone gazing in your window 24/7?

Regarding data capture and use, Ford has a similar Terms of Use clause in the Sync system with the Vehicle Health Report.

The report itself sounds useful in theory: it'll query the diagnostics in your car and then transfer a history to an account via your cell phone: date, mileage, info about the car, info for next service, etc. In practice the information is pretty useless. It basically tells you what idiot lights were on in your car at the time of the report and how long until your car is due for its next round number-service.

For example, with the parking brake on and the accompanying red light on the dash you get: Warning! VHR has detected a problem with your brakes or suspension. You should have this checked at the dealer!

Or you can remember to take the brake off before you drive next time.

It does, however, also provide unspecified information to the dealer: mileage, service lights, and who knows what else. If you choose to use the service the dealer is allowed to use the info. At best, this might be a benign way to get you targeted advertising based on your specific, e.g. a coupon for an oil change; at worst it gives the dealer a lot of info about your car that could affect warranty claims, service terms, etc. I don't recall seeing what information was transferred or what Ford said was "fair use."

I wouldn't object to that if they were to ask you "Would you volunteer your information?" and they give you a donut or a soda, etc, etc. OTOH, I don't want you gathering any information on me WITHOUT my consent or even allowing me to opt out.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

That's basically what I thought. I wouldn't mind a periodic "data download" to a computer for a report since it could be used for mileage calculations or creating "date/time/mileage" stamp for things like tire purchase or even business expenses; but since it's my cell phone making the call and my car doing the calling, why should I give the company unspecified access to the computers in the car? Tell me what you're collecting and what you intend to do with it, then maybe.

Another end of it is this. Am I paying for a logging device that can be used against me in a court someday? IIRC, there was a case of downloaded data that was used against a person.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Yep.

IIHS says no, well, maybe, that depends: Q&A: Event data recorders

You own the data. They need consent to get it, unless you've consented by buying a policy that requires it, unless that's against the law in your state.

Would you enjoy having a peeping Tom look into your house all the time, or would you come outside and take care of the problem with a steel-toed boot to the ass? Disconnecting OnStar is the equivalent of the application of a steel-toed boot to someone who's spying on you.

Not even close.

Pretty close in my opinion. Having something like OnStar in my car would make me want to remove it and smash the electronics with a large sledgehammer until they're a fine sand of silicon.

Glad as hell I drive a 28-year old car that doesn't have any of that spy crap built in.

2 Are passenger vehicles required to have EDRs? No. They aren't mandatory but many automakers choose to include them in their cars. In August 2006, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued an EDR rule that will apply to 2013 and later models. The rule standardizes the information EDRs collect and makes retrieving the data easier. Devices defined as EDRs must record 15 data elements, including vehicle deceleration, in specific formats. More advanced EDRs may record additional information from the engine control module, antilock brakes, and other vehicle systems. Federal rules outline as many as 30 extra data elements that advanced EDRs must log. Vehicle manufacturers must publicly share information about how to download EDR data, and they have to include a statement in the owner's manual telling consumers that their vehicle has an EDR.

7 What are the potential uses of the data? EDRs can provide information about a crash that can't be obtained through more traditional investigation techniques. Police, crash investigators, automakers, insurance adjusters, and highway safety researchers can use this information to analyze what occurred during a crash. The data may help automakers improve occupant restraint systems and vehicle structures.3,4
EDR data may be useful in determining culpability. For example, EDR data from a car involved in an August 2002 crash in Florida showed the vehicle was traveling at 114 mph seconds before it struck another vehicle, killing two passengers. The EDR data were used to convict the driver of manslaughter.5

9 Who owns the data and who has access? EDRs and the data they store belong to vehicle owners. Police, insurers, researchers, automakers, and others may gain access to the data with owner consent. Without consent, access may be obtained through a court order. For example, in a Florida criminal case involving a vehicular manslaughter charge, the police obtained a warrant to access the EDR data.5
For crashes that don't involve litigation, especially when police or insurers are interested in assessing fault, insurers may be able to access the EDRs in their policyholders' vehicles based on provisions in the insurance contract requiring policyholders to cooperate with the insurer. However, some states prohibit insurance contracts from requiring policyholders to consent to access.8,9

Sorry, that tells me that I don't have absolute control of the data. When somebody can access the data, it makes me nervous. It starts us out on a slippery slope. My wife can take the 5th. The EDR cannot. What it is like to me is this. I have to pay for a cop to sit beside me. No thanx.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Until the day the mandate that your car will install one of them in it or you are somehow forced by circumstances to have a newer car.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

In that case, I'd f***ing well walk or move to a third-world country that either has fewer rules, or where you can bribe your way out of rules. With any luck though, the US will go the way of Greece before then and we'll see mass firings of petty rule-making bureaucratic scumbags. Without pension. Just a kick onto the street, like a canine with sarcoptic mites.

As far as a newer car, there are plenty of cars made in the last 28 years that DON'T have this kind of system, so I'll have plenty to choose from.

Then again, I'm a tech person, so this situation may spell a business opportunity. Selling "altered" spy devices to Mafia, drug-dealers, marital cheaters, etc. In short, people who are more honest than the bureaucratic pigs who may see fit to mandate wholesale espionage on the public.