OnStar reports location and speed data to the car manufacturer. Sometimes they will sell this data to insurance companies to raise your premium, as several news stores pointed out a few weeks ago. I couldn't really find an advantage to OnStar, (I have my phone to call emergency services) so I disabled it by pulling it's fuse.
For my 2019 bolt, it's f31 in the instrument panel fuse box, just down and to the left of the steering wheel. The fuse box cover comes off when you pull it hard from the bottom.
I was able to find which fuse went to OnStar in the owners manual and labeled on the inside of the fuse box cover. You should be able to find it for your model car there too if it uses OnStar.
I did have the casualty of my speaker for calls and texts. I'm not able to use it right now. I'll see if I can dig in and reconnect it somehow, but we'll see.
Who knows that other into they're snitching back to GM, or what they could do in the future, so I recommend disconnecting it. Good luck!
Would it be illegal to fuck with whatever tech they use to spy on you like that so it falsely reports you drive safer than you do so your rates are lower?
I don't think insurance would ever willingly lower your rates
I think the only time is when you're a new driver. They lowered mine after a year or something back when I was 18. No idea if they still do that.
Nope. I got my license about two years ago, and my rates have only gone up. I got my license a little over a month before turning 25, which may or may impact things
It helps to call three or four different insurance agencies to get them to complete on price.
I do this every year before circling back to my current and sharing that their competitors are cheaper.
They usually yield and lower the price and I don't have to switch
Unfortunately, I always take a look around whenever my policy renews (every 6 months) and the one I'm with always manages to be at least a couple hundred bucks cheaper than others. Maybe it'll be different for me in a couple years ¯_(ツ)_/¯
They got greedy with time. Not surprised.
Obviously the final answer will be different in every jurisdiction, but I would think it'd be less of a fraud issue - you can't be accused of sending false information if you're sending no information.
I suspect where things would get dicey is in the car-as-a-service part - where the EULA of a car software would open you up to legal challenge if you changed any hardware or software function of the car.
It would absolutely 95% get laughed out of court, but not without leaving you with a hefty legal bill no doubt. Obviously the full answer would depend on your local legal system and lawyer's advice.
There’s an easy rule of thumb you can use to answer this type of question.
Will the people with money have less?
If so, it’s illegal. Other way around is fine for some reason.
It wouldn't be illegal, but if the insurance company found out they would use it as a reason to not pay in the event of an accident.
You didn't lie to the insurance company. They stole what they assumed to be accurate info from somebody who stole it from you.
They that the stolen info they didn't ask your permission to buy was fake sounds like a them problem.