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by ChuckMcM 5383 days ago
There is a theory that you only build weapons that you intend to use, otherwise its a waste of funds. It cost money to put the language into the agreement and someone argued that cost with an offseting revenue. That suggests to me at least that the information will be packaged up and sold.

Now how nefarious will that sale be? That is fairly subjective. But as others have pointed out, if you're carrying around a smart phone you may already be giving more information to folks than you care to. It reads like OnStar wants in on that gravy train.
1 comments
raphman 5383 days ago
Companies get sold all the time. Maybe someone at OnStar realized that this is a realistic possibility in the next couple of years. Maybe OnStar wants to found a shell corporation.

I have seen such wording in a number of other TOSes so far, e.g. by Google [1]:

If Google becomes involved in a merger, acquisition, or any form of sale of some or all of its assets, we will ensure the confidentiality of any personal information involved in such transactions and provide notice before personal information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

[1] http://www.google.com/privacy/privacy-policy.html

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ChuckMcM 5383 days ago
I agree they get sold all the time, I've been hearing advertisements that I can get OnStar on my non-GM car in the SF Bay Area, so I presume they are expanding their reach.

One of the interesting techniques here is to make this change, get some heat (as they are) but then saying "Hey, its just boilerplate, we're not selling this stuff take a chill pill." And then 6 months or a year later, when everyone has forgotten the ruckus, do start selling the information, except that now since its pre-authorized by the ToS there is no 'lighthouse event' that goes up to alert the public to that fact.

A crusader would now start watching for news about OnStar partnering in six to nine months with someone who could use information about where people are, or where they go.

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jroll 5383 days ago
OnStar is a massive advantage for GM; I can't foresee them ever selling it.

Edited because my slippery thumbs hit submit early.

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