|
|
| Information |
|
|
Car Insurance Monitoring for Discounted Insurance Rates - Privacy Devouring Monster Eating Us One Bi
For a price, would you let car insurer along for the ride? -asks a USA Today technology story by Kevin Maney. It seemsthat Progressive Insurance and IBM have worked out a scheme topay drivers to be safer - by monitoring their every move intheir own cars, and how fast they make that move, and wherethey park, and what time they drive. The program is being tested in Minnesota and in the U.K. in aprivacy busting program that rewards drivers for keeping underthe maximum speed limits and driving during safer times ofday. It's an interesting twist that is compared here to ashopper reward card that monitors what you buy, although itdoesn't give you lower prices if you buy healthy food - whichseems like the best analogy. (But it does let the food chainsknow how often you shop and how much you spend on what typesof food, and alcohol, and cigarettes and trashy tabloids.) Drivers must attach an electronic monitor to their cars thatdownloads information which is generated and stored there indiagnostic chips included in most newer model vehicles. As theydrive, it stores current driving behavior - and location - anddriving times and at the end of the defined time, drivers takethe unit into the house, attach a USB cable and download thatinformation into their computer and transmit it toProgressive. But the insurance discount program does have an interestingtwist in the Minnesota test. Apparently drivers who see fromtheir downloaded information (or just know they drove badly attimes) that they exceeded maximum speed limits, drove duringexpensive times (2am when bars close is most expensive, after11pm is next) can choose NOT to send that information toProgressive and pay the normal undiscounted insurance rate. It appears to have the true benefit of making drivers becomemore cautious and drive within limits of the law during safehours. There is nothing wrong with this for those willing togive up the information. This allows those willing to bemonitored the choice to send the information to their insurerand get a discount or NOT send it to pay normal rates. It'sworth considering. I'm among those who continues to use supermarket loyaltycards, even though I despise the fact that they can see mypurchase history and note my travel habits. The savings arejust too great to pass up. (I used a false name to set thecard up, but quickly noted that they tied together my debitcard name and loyalty card purchases, thus gaining thatinformation that I had denied them with the false name - now Iuse cash.) You certainly can't do the same with the insurancedriving discounts. Information must be accurate to properlyinsure and discount the policy. The UK program is more invasive and offers far less choice.Drivers must always download the information from the carmodule to gain insurance discounts and the British companymonitors more information from those UK drivers. The US version may have some merit if choice remains a part ofthe equation upon full rollout to American drivers who wantthat ten percent discount on auto insurance policies inexchange for giving up the privacy of their driving habits. The disturbing part of this, again, as always, is the possiblemerging of multiple databases to form near perfectsurveillance pictures of us with each new development. Oursupermarket discounts show that big database what we eat,what else we buy at the grocery, the insurance informationdefines our travels and schedule, our credit and debit carduse defines our spending, travel and lifestyles, whilemultiple other databases from airline security info to phonerecords can be merged at any time to form near perfectpictures of our lives for anyone that wants to access it. Once a national ID (driver licenses will soon carry mandatorymagnetic information and will serve as a defacto national ID),we can be fully monitored, tracked, analyzed and digitized toform a truly invasive database of numbers and bits ofinformation about each of us. The sources of data about each of us are growing daily. Theconcern is the loss or abuse of that data through commercialand/or governmental negligence and/or criminal intent. Themethods to access that data are growing as the sourcesproliferate. Privacy is something we give up in small bits for smallbenefits, like cheaper produce using supermarket loyalty cardsand insurance discounts using car monitors hooked up to ourinsurance carrier. We need laws to control and safegaurd eachof those databases and stop any merging of those multiplesources of data into the ultimate Big Brother database. I want my car insurance reduced and I'm willing to considerthis newest scheme if I have choice of whether to send my infoto my insurer. I will send it when I've been good and won'twhen I have been less good. But I don't want it merged with myother sources of data or shared among commercial interests whomay see fit to sell it to each other. It gets more interesting daily. Who is in control of thisprivacy devouring data monster? Mike Banks Valentine blogs on privacy issues at:http://PrivacyNotes.com/privacy_blog/ You can subscribeto the RSS feed by entering My Yahoo or My MSN at:http://privacynotes.com/privacy_blog/atom.xmlWeb Content Resource From http://Publish101.com
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news Futures flat; Lehman buyout news, data awaited (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Stock index futures were little changed on Friday as investors awaited news on the fate of Lehman Brothers after a slide in its stock this week heightened fears over whether the investment bank can survive. Myanmar's Suu Kyi to get family letters, news mags (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to wring small concessions from the ruling generals in the form of letters from her family and some international news magazines, her lawyer said on Friday. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (CBS News) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel 's current news flow, was picked up by a Google (NSDQ: GOOG) News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. After a lot of buck ... JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. Help News pick Stadium's greatest moment (New York Daily News) The News is marking the countdown to the final game at The House That Ruth Built by reflecting on Yankee Stadium's greatest moments - and we're asking you - the reader - to help us pick out the best of the best. JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune) The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel's current news flow, was picked up by a Google News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance) In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. Site: news - Google News News Analysis A Difficult Road Awaits Panetta at the CIA - New York Times
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for insurance NC insurance commissioner orders lower auto rates (AP via Yahoo! Finance) North Carolina State Insurance Commissioner Jim Long on Thursday rejected an industry request for an almost 13 percent increase in auto rates and has ordered a reduction instead. Auto-insurance rates in N.C. ordered cut by 16.1 percent (Winston-Salem Journal) N.C. Insurance Commissioner Jim Long rejected yesterday an industry request for an almost 13 percent increase in auto rates and has ordered a reduction instead. Survey: Insurance Industry Expects Subprime Issues to Negatively Impact 2009 Performance (Insurance Journal) Insurance executives expect subprime and other credit issues to continue to have a significantly negative impact on the industry's financial performance in 2009, and they see credit and pricing risks Nevada Names Baker Acting Insurance Commissioner (Insurance Journal) The Nevada Department of Business & Industry named Betty C. Baker acting commissioner of the Division of Insurance. Baker will oversee the Division while a replacement is sought for Alice Molasky-Arma Here's the lowdown on 'private' bank and broker insurance (USA Today) Q: I've noticed several banks and brokerage firms claiming they have private insurance that protects accounts above the FDIC and SIPC limits. Should investors trust those promises? State unemployment insurance claims up (Macon Telegraph) The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that 59,090 laid-off workers filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits in August, an increase of 72.1 percent from August 2007, but a slight decrease from July to August this year. Fitch Ratings Gives Island Insurance an "Aq" (Insurance Journal) Island Insurance Co. Ltd., Hawaii's largest locally owned and managed property and casualty insurance carrier, has reaffirmed its "Aq" rating for Quantitative Insurer Financial Strength (Q-IFS) by Fit Looking for Free or Low-cost Health Insurance? (Carteret County News-Times) (ARA) - It's no secret that accessing health care is a challenge for the 47 million Americans who are uninsured. Lack of health insurance forces many Americans to choose the health care they receive based on what they can afford, not what they actually need. Uganda: Health Insurance May Face NSSF Fate (AllAfrica.com) The government has finally resolved that all salaried workers and employers, will with effect from July 2009, be required to make compulsory contributions to the new National Social Health Insurance Scheme. The net inflow from life insurance companies into equity stood at Rs550bn till March 31, 2008 , foreign institutional ... (India Infoline) The life insurance industry was the largest investor in the Indian equity markets, ahead of foreign institutional investors and mutual funds, according to the reports. Site: insurance - Google News US health care overhaul needn't break bank: study - Reuters
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Life Insurance Policy and What You Need to Know Before You Buy Are you looking to buy a life insurance policy? Well, be careful. Life insurance can be difficult to understand and it's easy to be conned into buying something under false pretenses. Do You Pay Too Much For Your Car Insurance? Do the premiums just seem to get higher and higher every year?It is amazing how many people just receive their insurance renewal when it is sent out each year and pay it off without a second thought!But, at the back of their mind, is this niggling feeling of discontent about the amount they are paying. Unfortunately many feel there is nothing they can do about it, they are literally being held to ransom by the insurance companies. A Life Insurance Quote Became Reality Life insurance quoteThank goodness John took his life insurance quote seriously. It didn't prevent our daughters from wishing he were still here but thanks to his foresight they and I still have the things he worked for because he turned that life insurance quote into a policy before his untimely death. Why Boat Insurance Is A Necessity Boat insurance is necessary for all boat owners who live on or really value their boats. If it is something that you feel you must replace then you need to insure it. Need A Car Insurance Comparison? Dont Have Time? If you decide not to do a car insurance comparison and simply renew your insurance at the same rate, you could be paying away needless amounts of your hard-earned money. By doing a car insurance comparison, you could get a cheaper rate than what you are presently paying. Finding Fast Life Insurance Since the widespread growth of internet usage and database building it's never been easier or quicker to find fast life insurance. There was a time not long ago that the project could drag out forever. What is Consumer-Driven Healthcare? Consumer-driven healthcare is a label that we've put on a movement in America to change the way decisions are made in our healthcare system. Instead of insurance companies making all the decisions about how people will receive their healthcare, consumers are taking back the power over their own lives. What Is Health Insurance? What is health insurance and why do I need it? Health insurance protects you and your family from a financial hardship due to medical expenses in the untimely event that you are injured or become ill. There are four types of health insurance, you may need just one or you may need a combination to ensure you have the most insurance coverage possible. Health Savings Account (HSA): Do I Lose It At the End of Each Year? The Health Savings Account (HSA) is an amazing tool to reducehealthcare expenses and insurance costs. But do you lose it atthe end of each year, like with a Flexible Savings Account (FSA)?Thank goodness, no! You do not lose your HSA money at the end ofeach year. Car Insurance Advice for Young Drivers in the UK Over the course of the last ten years, car insurance for young drivers in the UK has increased substantially.This has caused many problems for new drivers with premiums averaging £1300 for a newly qualified 17 year old male driver. House Insurance - Forcible and Violent Entry Forcible and violent entry (f&ve) is the terminology used within house insurance to describe break-ins.Most home insurance policies will cover you for theft claims made with no forcible and violent entry. About Accidental Death Dismemberment Insurance Quote We don't hear much about getting an accidental death dismemberment insurance quote as no one is really pushing or promoting the coverage as agents make very little money on it and is not worth promoting. They are looking for the larger ticket items with high commissions that being regular life insurance instead of offering you accidental death dismemberment insurance quotes. Seven Steps to Filing Your Car Insurance Claim Having even a teeny-tiny car accident can be one of life's least enjoyable moments. However, accidents happen, and sooner or later, we all have the experience of meeting one of our fellow road travelers up close and personal. Health Insurance Plans - Benefits to Different Plans & Providers Health insurance plans vary in their coverage and prices. The more coverage offered, the higher the premiums. About Online Term Life Insurance Rates Online term life insurance ratesHow simple it is today finding online term life insurance rates. At the click of your little mouse, fingers on the keyboard off we go into the world of cyber space. Converting An Unwanted Life Insurance Policy Into Ca$h Do You Own A Life Insurance Policy That You No longer Need or Want?It is possible that you may be able to can get a CASH settlement in excess of the current cash surrender value by selling your policy in the secondary market to an investor.Reasons To "Sell" A Policy:Family SituationsBankruptcyEstate ReductionEstate Tax RevisionBusiness Was Sold1035 ExchangeDrain On IncomeDivorce - SeparationDeath of A SpouseRetirementDeclining HealthNon-Performing PolicyWealth PlanningWork Related ChangesQualifying Types Of Life Insurance:GroupWhole LifeTerm (Convertible)JointUniversalVariableKey Man (business related)Who Is A Qualified Candidate?Mature men and women over age sixty-five years of age who have an existing life insurance policy and whose circumstances have changed since purchasing the policy originally may qualify for a purchase and sale of their policy. Why Dont Insurance Companies Reward Us for Being Healthy? Insurance is always a gamble, a bet actually.You are betting that you'll eventually get sick or hurt. Cheap Health Insurance Rates and Personal Health Insurance If you've been out of school for a couple of years or perhaps just graduated from college, you're probably a candidate for cheap health insurance. Once a person reaches a certain age they're no longer covered by their parents health insurance plan. What You Need to Know About Auto Insurance Let's be realistic, everyone needs to have auto insurance. Aside from the fact that almost every state requires it, it is only logical for a driver to see that his vehicle is properly insured. How To Save Money On Your Homeowners Insurance? In order to save money on your homeowners insurance you have to consider several price determining factors. One of the biggest factors is whom your insurance provider ends up becoming.
|
| Home | Site Map | Resource Links |
