I've never really liked the idea of OnStar to be honest. Some of those that know me here know that I'm the last person to be a paranoid conspiracy theorist, but this is plain and simple fact. OnStar will track you and your driving habits.

Not only does this change to the Terms of Service enable them to collect data about you and your vehicle without a subscription, it enables them to "use" it.

What does this mean? This means there are plenty of companies out there that would love to know about your driving habits, how often you use your seatbelt, where you drive, how you drive, how close you stay to home when you drive.

This quote pretty much sums up how I feel about it:

Here is some more info:

OnStar Begins Spying On Customers’ GPS Location For Profit | Jonathan Zdziarski's Domain

I know as soon as I get my truck back I will be permanently disabling OnStar.

 

YEP, I noticed that also when I got the letter!!!

Good thing my "Tracking Device" (OnStar) will be over next month and I will be removing the connectors from the OnStar box that day!

 

you guys should go back to last year when i described how it works even with the antenna disconnected. park beside a cell tower and see how you can still call os! i still got the os email with accurate mileage,AFTER i cut the antenna!

and how they laughed at me,,oh yeah,,ha,ha haa..
i still have some of that copper tape to cover the antenna connector! ill be glad to send a strip
to all the guys who support me,,,ha!!!

oh

on my 10 that killed bluetooth

 

George Orwell predicted Big Brother would be all over us in his "1984" book... he missed it by 25 years.

 

You guys better get rid of your cell phones, credit cards, debit cards, etc. as well.....

 

From the Onstar email: "We have added to the amended Terms and Conditions more detailed information about the information we collect about you and about your Vehicle, including how we collect your information, what we do with it and how we share it. For example, unless the Data Connection in your Vehicle is deactivated, information about your Vehicle may continue to be collected even if you do not have Service. In addition to other purposes set out in the prior version of the Privacy Statement, we may use the information we collect about you and your Vehicle to improve the quality of our Service and offerings and may share the information we collect with law enforcement or other public safety officials, credit card processors, and/or third parties we contract with who conduct joint marketing initiatives with OnStar. "

tom: not sure if you know that disconnecting the box will "deactivate" the on star unit. No power no Onstar. There are "other" ways to get Bluetooth in your vehicle. Heck, our 2009 with Bluetooth had the OnStar box disconnected and we really don't miss the Bluetooth through the car speakers. .

Fancy Pants; I know what you mean but I don't know what "cell phones, credit cards, debit cards, etc." you have but I know mine don't share my driving habits/vehicle infomation with law enforcement or "other" public safety officials!

For everyone else this is good information to have, even if you "think" since your OnStar is not "On" and tracking you because you don't have a subscription. You are wrong! Disconnect your unit! All the plugs and the antenna lead.

I'm working on locating the "OnStar main power fuse". When I find it I'll post it up here.


From Wired about OnStar: OnStar Is Tracking Your Speed And Location Even When You Cancel Your Service
OnStar is alerting customers of a change in its privacy policy that'll let the company collect the speed and location of any OnStar-equipped vehicle, even when the owner no longer subscribes to the monthly service.
According to spokesman Adam Denison, the company will keep this tracking active for the convenience of customers who wish to restore service. He also says the connection will remain open "unless the customer says otherwise".
Even more troubling is a little known section of the privacy policy that lets OnStar compile this GPS data and sell an anonymized version to government agencies, marketing companies and vehicle manufacturers.

 

yeah, ill park by that tower and try to connect but i get nothing on email so i think i killed it by capping the ant conn with copper conductive tape.

and u guys who want to continue feeding data into big bro/sis, do as u wish!`

taint,i wonder if,or how long data is stored onboard b4 uploading to os?

id like to keep bt as is so i mite pull the box and see if i can find just the os circuit and "shoot it"
let u know

 

tom; not sure? but I do know the BCM will have an error code for an inop OnStar (who fricken cares about that). If you remove the "box" then there is nothing "they" can retrieve.

I know there are 2 fuses for the system (1 fuse box, 1 hidden near the positive battery cable for "theft purposes"), but not sure if that will disable the entire system like pulling the entire unit out will.

 

unless they hide some other"safety"fuse,the 2 should kill it as per wiring diagrams.
i didnt try hard but i couldnt get the module out. id like to get a closer look inside. see if bt os can be split easily

 

They don't share your driving habits/vehicle information. They share everything else to track your daily location, purchases, etc. Big brother is everywhere. You might as well shut your PC off as well. Let me knwo if you find a fuse for any of those as well!

Aren't your driving habits easily downloaded in the event of an accident anyways?