Kenn Dahl says he has always been a careful driver. The owner of a software company near Seattle, he drives a leased Chevrolet Bolt. He’s never been responsible for an accident.
So Mr. Dahl, 65, was surprised in 2022 when the cost of his car insurance jumped by 21 percent. Quotes from other insurance companies were also high. One insurance agent told him his LexisNexis report was a factor.
LexisNexis is a New York-based global data broker with a “Risk Solutions” division that caters to the auto insurance industry and has traditionally kept tabs on car accidents and tickets. Upon Mr. Dahl’s request, LexisNexis sent him a 258-page “consumer disclosure report,” which it must provide per the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
What it contained stunned him: more than 130 pages detailing each time he or his wife had driven the Bolt over the previous six months. It included the dates of 640 trips, their start and end times, the distance driven and an accounting of any speeding, hard braking or sharp accelerations. The only thing it didn’t have is where they had driven the car.
On a Thursday morning in June for example, the car had been driven 7.33 miles in 18 minutes; there had been two rapid accelerations and two incidents of hard braking.
Am I the only one who doesn’t find this surprising. All these big car companies making drivable spyware and who would probably want that data? Insurance companies. This is why my first car I’m gonna tear out the modem.
Surprising? Hell no. Infuriating? Fuck yes. Your accident records should speak for themselves, not some bullshit algorithms calculating if yOu AcCelLerATeD ToO fASt or not. Get the fuck outta here with that baby shit.
I’m not surprised it happened, but a little surprised how quickly it happened. Most insurance companies still offer a plan where you voluntarily plug in a tracker to monitor your driving in exchange for lower rates if you’re a good driver, so it’s extra fucked that they’re doing the same thing to presumably everyone with an internet connected car without even telling them upfront, let alone getting consent.
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So basically all modern cars. There are methods to rip it out. It can be really complicated or easy depending on the model. I think some dealerships also have their own box.