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back to article CHILLING STUDY: Rise of the data-slurping SNITCH GADGETS

Sales of telematics devices are expected to increase by more than 1,000 per cent over the next five years, according to a new study. Technology market analysts ABI Research said that 117.8 million "onboard diagnostics (OBD) aftermarket telematics solutions" are expected to be subscribed to in 2019, up from 9.5 million this …

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  1. All names Taken
    Paris Hilton

    Heck! Where's Guvmint when it is needed

    Imagine this:

    UK Guvmint says it will reduce road tax by 50% for vehicles fitted with telematic devices satisfying base criteria set by so-and-so supported by researchers and academics at Cambridge, Heriot-Watt and Manchester Universities.

    Data gleemed from these devices will be analysed the results of which will be used to assist planning of UK road networks. Police may also use the data to assist in any way that helps investigations and makes for more efficient policing of the nation.

    Imagine that!

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    1. Mike Smith
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      Big Brother

      Re: Heck! Where's Guvmint when it is needed

      "UK Guvmint says it will increase road tax by 150% to support the nationwide roll-out of compulsory telematic devices based on a specially-skewed study supported by backhanders given to researchers and academics at Cambridge, Heriot-Watt and Manchester Universities.

      "Data extracted from these devices will be used to support the United States in their ongoing War on $BOGEYMAN with the specious excuse that's it's really intended for planning UK road networks and this secondary use is just monetising its added value. Police will be given full access to the data to assist their eternal vigilance in keeping the nation safe and justifying kicking people's doors down at 3am because their driving style didn't fit with expected behaviour."

      There, FIFY.

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      1. Sir Sham Cad
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        Re: Heck! Where's Guvmint when it is needed

        I could be wrong but I don't think that dosh collected from Vehicle Excise Duty is ring-fenced for upkeep and/or planning of road systems. I think it goes back into general taxation, I.E. Osbourne gets to give it to his mates... erm, I mean, spend it in line with Government agenda.

        VED cost is based, loosely, on how much of a Petrol Swilling, Bunny Murdering Enviro-Satan some utterly made up figures reckon your car is, not where it's driven, how it's driven etc...

        This makes Mike Smith's scenario of a gov.uk led Telematics rollout being used to send your VED north instead of south the more likely. Gov.uk isn't going to spend money in order to allow itself to bring in less money even if that's the way it should work.

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        1. Elmer Phud
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          Re: Heck! Where's Guvmint when it is needed

          I could be wrong but I don't think that dosh collected from Vehicle Excise Duty is ring-fenced for upkeep and/or planning of road systems."

          And you'd be right.

          T'was Winston Churchill wot bunged it all into the exchequer.

          It's because there isn't enough money from VED to pay for the upkeep and new roads anyway - even then almost 100 years ago.

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          1. annodomini2
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            Re: Heck! Where's Guvmint when it is needed

            "It's because there isn't enough money from VED to pay for the upkeep and new roads anyway - even then almost 100 years ago."

            Nope, there's more than enough money.

            VED (2012) ~£3.8B

            VED + Fuel Duty (2012) ~£38B.

            It was well into surplus, so rather than reduce costs they shifted the cash into the central pot.

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    2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
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      Unhappy

      Re: Heck! Where's Guvmint when it is needed

      "Data gleemed from these devices will be analysed the results of which will be used to assist planning of UK road networks. Police may also use the data to assist in any way that helps investigations and makes for more efficient policing of the nation."

      Sounds like you've already put your CV in.

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  2. Nigel 11

    How I'm driving, or where I'm driving?

    This is the immediately obvious question. I don't much mind an insurance company logging the data necessary to assess my driving style (IMO it would save me money). But I most certainly do not want them (or anyone else for that matter) maintaining a log of precisely when and where I drive. For assessing insurance risk, any GPS coords transmited should be processed into a road type classification(*) and the actual coordinates immediately and irretrievably forgotten. With the threat of huge fines and damages if they ever break their promise, because otherwise it's certain that they will.

    (*) for example M-way, Urban Dual carriageway, rural unclassified, city centre, ... about a dozen types ought to be all they need for risk assessment. Add the county/metropolitan district if they must, I guess London city centre is a higher risk than Milton Keynes city centre.

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    1. All names Taken
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      Re: How I'm driving, or where I'm driving?

      I may be mistaken but if you take a mobile phone into a car that mobile phone pings home.

      Telcos allegedly sell that info to government bodies and road resurfacing or road network planning can be influenced by road usage patterns as shown by tracking of mobile phone signals (whether in use or not).

      All allegedly :-)

      Maybe there should be a "Hey - what are you doing with my data"-type movement to make folks aware of what is capable of being done?

      On the other hand why bother with all the hassle , risk turning in tree-huggers to data-huggers and upset folks by disrupting mundane lives?

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      1. Irongut
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        Re: How I'm driving, or where I'm driving?

        "All allegedly"

        If you mean allegedly the mobile telcos sell our movement data then I can tell you yes they do, and not just to governments. I saw a live, real time demo of this data by a GIS software provider and TfL at a conference 18 months ago. Scary stuff.

        If you mean allegedly the government use that data to plan road resurfacing then no because that would require them to actually resurface some roads.

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        1. Chris G
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          Re: How I'm driving, or where I'm driving?

          Maybe it's time for an enterprising developer to come up with an Anonymising app, after all there is an app for just about everything else.

          Dibbs on the first download for a fully anonymising app.

          By the way, I have nothing to hide so I have everything to worry about as I don't trust governments, insurance companies, big business , small business, my cat ( keeps staring at me when I'm on the internet looking at other cats)...............

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    2. NumptyScrub
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      Re: How I'm driving, or where I'm driving?

      quote: "This is the immediately obvious question. I don't much mind an insurance company logging the data necessary to assess my driving style (IMO it would save me money). But I most certainly do not want them (or anyone else for that matter) maintaining a log of precisely when and where I drive."

      "Sorry, but the location logs are necessary to ensure you aren't a seditionist terrorist, and anyway if you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear." </parody>

      Personally, I would be all for the logging of my specific driving style if it meant I could self-identify and pay for increased road freedoms. E.g. speed tax, I go for comedy-band insurance (££££) and it gives me the freedom to (safely and sensibly) open up on clear roads to make better progress, where other drivers may be limited to a more restrictive speed. I would even be absolutely fine with a prerequisite of a much more exhaustive driver test prior to the option of being able to apply and pay for such extra freedoms.

      I don't see that ever happening though, unfortunately.

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    3. John Smith 19 Gold badge
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      Unhappy

      Re: How I'm driving, or where I'm driving?

      "But I most certainly do not want them (or anyone else for that matter) maintaining a log of precisely when and where I drive. "

      You appear to think this is your data.

      In this universe the people who collect it think it's their data.

      And the sock puppets politicians agree with them.

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      1. DropBear
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        Re: How I'm driving, or where I'm driving?

        You do realise of course that it's very likely that a log of "how" you're driving (RPM etc.) can easily be correlated into where you're driving using some not-to-complicated math, yes? I'm pretty sure any route has its specific fingerprint of when exactly you slow down...

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