In the public dialogue about mobile privacy concerns, I’ve yet to hear a plea to turn back the clock to when mobile apps were supported by subscription fees.
Surprisingly, many consumers don’t understand the "pact with the devil" that free services come with a loss of privacy. With the exception of enterprise offerings, subscription fees have shrunk or disappeared for most location-based services. At the Institute for Communication Technology Management at the University of Southern California, Allison Cera of Lucent-Alcatel talked about the intersection of technology and identity. More than half of the people in her study felt they shouldn’t have to provide information about themselves just to get the most out of online services. Among the most connected technology users, the expectation of privacy was lower.
As companies rework privacy agreements, it’s interesting that Cera’s research indicates people prefer a simpler privacy policy that is easier to understand, over one that provides more comprehensive protection. In addition to simplicity, people prefer uniformity. Almost 90 percent want to see Internet and mobile service providers, social networking sites, and search engines all governed by the same laws and regulations regarding the collecting, analyzing, and sharing of online data.
Google knows all? Google has experienced heat from lawmakers and consumers over its efforts to consolidate user privacy standards and share data among its offerings. Google announced plans to connect user data across desktop and mobile services including Google+, Gmail and YouTube. “Our new privacy policy makes clear that, if you're signed in, we may combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services," blogged Alma Whitten of Google. "In short, we'll treat you as a single user across all our products, which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google experience."
You know where I’ve been. Would consumers exchange transparency into whereabouts and driving behavior for a cheaper insurance premium? GPS and Telematics companies are providing the technology behind a new insurance product, which bases premiums on driving behavior. TomTom for example, has teamed up with insurance broker Motaquote for the launch of Fair Pay Insurance, a product that rewards “good” drivers with lower premiums. Drivers who sign up for Fair Pay receive a TomTom navigation device. They will also have a LINK tracking unit fitted in their vehicles, allowing driver behavior and habits to be monitored by the insurer. This information can also be viewed by the policy-holder in their driver dashboard.February 15, 2012 By: Janice Partyka of GPS World and Wireless Pulse.
Lynx Telematics and LynxSafe
One of the questions that I am asked by General Managers and dealer Principles of Auto Dealerships about the marketing of a Telematics device to the general consumer is, "How do we overcome the privacy issue?"
First of all, let me say that in this country, we do not have a "Privacy Issue", but rather a "Privacy Perception".
Today, our kids post half naked pictures of themselves online on social media sites such as Facebook and voice their ideas, opinions, vacation plans and location updates in "real-time", informing their "Friends" and "Friends of Friends" every aspect of their lives and relationships.
Facebook in turn, harvests this information and uses it as their "Product" to lure advertisers.
I see parents in my "Friend Circle", routinely "Checking In" when they attend movies, restaurants, or vacation spots, in effect notifying the world of Facebook, that THEY ARE NOT HOME AND THEIR HOME AND ALL THEIR VALUABLES....ARE UNOCCUPIED!!!!!!
If you have a "Rewards" card from a gas station or the popular Kroger Plus card, you are providing marketers with valuable information about your likes and dislikes and where you spend your money.
I recently changed my dietary habits and have lost nearly 30 lbs since January 1st. As a result, Krogers has started sending me coupons for all those products that I used to routinely buy at their store.
Granted, their are still people like my Mother out their that will not actually write a check and go to such great lengths to hide from "Big Brother" that she cuts the strips out of her large bills, because she thinks that the anti-theft devices at the stores entrances are actually reading the amount of cash she has in her purse.
But for the most part, we talk a good game about protecting our privacy but out actions rarely line up with our paranoia.
With our Lynx Telematics product for auto dealerships and LynxSafe for parents of Teen Drivers and elderly drivers, the only people that have access to the information such as location, excessive speeds, driving without a seat belt, texting and driving, mechanical failure and accident notifications are parents and loved ones who the purchaser of the product grants permissions to.
As the purchaser of a new automobile from a dealership, a new owner can protect the life and well being of their investment with a permanent connection to the dealerships service department.
The owner of the vehicle, sets up their preferred communication method via email, phone call or direct mail, and the service department send notifications to the customer at the first symptoms of mechanical malfunction or notifies of when an oil change is necessary.
The whole idea is to catch and treat the symptoms, before they require major and costly repairs. The consumer can get the maximum ROI in their investment and the dealership, through their service department, can create a unique value added service that can lead to future purchases while maximizing revenue for their service department.
For more information, contact Vincent Rush of Lynx Telematics at (866) 314-0461
For more information on how Lynx Telematics, an OEM located in Cincinnati, Ohio can help your company crack down on cargo theft or custom design a solution to meet your fleet management needs, contact Vincent Rush at (866) 314-0461
LynxTelematics is an OEM that controls design, engineering, firmware, software development, IT support and manufacturing processes of our product, allowing us to produce the highest quality product in our industry, while offering our customers competitive pricing.
As your partner, we provide ongoing training and support to insure that the product is properly sold to the end user, maximizing the re-sellers profitability.
As one of the pioneers in telematics technologies, Lynx Telematics provides our clients with powerful end-to-end vehicle telematics tools. Our technology offers a real solution that delivers safety, saves money and provides an unprecedented level of peace of mind to our customers.
Our product, LynxSafe, is the newest and most advanced in-vehicle communication system currently on the market. It combines GPS/satellite and GSM cellular technology to provide users and family members with immediate access to real-time information delivered directly via any internet enabled device including I Phone and Android smart phones.
All of our devices benefit from the innovation of U-Blox technology and a 3D Accelerometer, providing the industry’s most accurate pin point locating technology to within a 3 ft. radius.
