Letter to Chairman Leibowitz

Letter

Dear Chairman Leibowitz,

I write today to call your attention to an issue of concern for my constituents. OnStar, the vehicular communication and connectivity system that is a feature of many American cars, has recently made dramatic changes to its privacy policy that I find alarming. I am concerned that OnStar may be abusing the consumer data -- including sensitive information like vehicle location and speed -- to which it has access. I hope that the FTC will investigate to determine whether these policy changes, and the use of consumer data they enable, constitute an unfair or deceptive trade practice under Section 5 of the FTC Act.

OnStar announced changes to its data use and collection policy that are disturbing on two fronts. First, OnStar has said that, even when a consumer terminates his OnStar service, OnStar will retain connectivity to the vehicle (and therefore could be collecting data about the vehicle) unless the consumer specifically and explicitly requests that the connectivity be terminated. This request must be above and beyond the request the consumer has already made to terminate OnStar service. Second, OnStar has announced that it will retain the right to sell or otherwise distribute to third parties the date it collects. This right, according to OnStar, even applies to the data of consumers who have terminated their service. These changes put consumers at risk for having sensitive personal data collected and shared without their knowledge.

You and your agency have been stalwart defenders of consumer privacy. I hope you will continue your strong leadership in this area by investigating the data collection at issue here.

Sincerely,

Senator Charles Schumer

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