Black Boxes & Big Brother – Innovation Gone Wrong
Put this harmless black box in your vehicle, U.K. insurer Norwich Union says, and we’ll lower your insurance rates. You might as well drive over your personal rights while you’re at it.
By developing an advanced tracking system, Norwich intends to reward its best drivers with rate cuts. It factors in route, time of day, braking and the age of the driver, among other things. The GPS based IVU (in vehicle unit) uploads data to a database every few seconds on the road.
The bandwidth and computing power required to sequence all that data is impressive. In fact, it resembles a highly transactional environment, just like at a phone company. Computing time, geography and then placing a price on all those variables is a tough job. So the company had to create sophisticated compression technology as an answer.
At best the pay-as-you drive system may shave off a fraction of the bill, but at what cost? You may remember another innovative technology in the US that went bad fast. OnStar is a vehicle monitoring and tracking service that offers emergency assistance, traffic information and an anti-theft device that can turn off the car remotely from the call center. Sounds like a great deal too? Guess again.
In 2003 a federal appeals court had to rule against the FBI, who were using OnStar without the owners permission as a bugging device. If it’s not creepy enough that anyone can listen in, critics believe that there is an ability to hack into the system. The hacker would gain control of the vehicle and have the ability to turn it off, just like the folks at the call center.
The U.K. government is considering instituting pay as you drive systems to replace tax discs one day. Let’s just hope this is one innovation that doesn’t make it across the pond. I don’t want companies basing their decisions on my real time data. And I sure as hell wouldn’t appreciate that data used against me one day in court.
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lordmanilastone said
am December 4 2007 @ 2:18 am
this may come in handy for some inebriate drivers in korea, it’s so funny but there are companies in korea which hire people to drive drunken people’s car back home…^^
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 4 2007 @ 1:28 pm
@lordmanilastone, yeah drunk driving is a huge problem here still, even with all of the fines imposed on them. The same service exists here as well. Except it’s not a hired service but a charity that drives peoples cars back home for them.
Even if you were to use this to try to minimize drunk driving, how would you prosecute? Would it be something where the police would be notified? Kind of scary.
Connie T. said
am December 5 2007 @ 3:40 pm
What a disturbing thought. I don’t like the idea of giving the insurance companies even more power over common folk.
If people really want to lower their insurance rates, then they should learn to be better drivers. Driver’s ed should be improved and mandatory. The standards for getting a license should be much higher. People who’ve drank a pint or two should call companies to drive them and their cars home. Street conditions and intersections could be improved. If there were fewer accidents, that alone would bring down rates significantly.
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 5 2007 @ 4:30 pm
@Connie T., yeah isn’t it a real nightmare? I agree that other outside steps need to be taken in order to improve driver safety, such as education and street repairs.
At the end of the day it’s just easier for insurance to put a tracking collar on you and tell you to go fetch. Makes me sick.
Butch said
am December 13 2007 @ 6:08 pm
You would think people jump through enough hoops these days. Maybe if they spent their time and energy trying to make people better drivers, they would create a system where everyone wins at least a little bit.