... so I'll just focus on the, "Do your customers know every bit of information you retain from them?" query.
My answer would be, "no, of course not!" And I think it would be rare indeed to find very many sophisticated, technology-focused businesses that could honestly answer "Yes" to this question.
Now all that being said, even if you did provide very easy-to-use and detailed opt-out instructions and information collection notifications, that doesn't guarantee that costumers would truly know that we're collecting information from them. It's very easy to just gloss over these types of things. For example, it's insanely common for people to just automatically accept the terms and conditions of anything they do online blindly, without even glancing at what those T&C's entail. I know I'm guilty of that myself!
But I do agree: clearly there is consumer demand for easy-to-use privacy and data control. And I think implementation of such policies would not be as harmful to the business as many may think, because I'm convinced -- if they trust your company -- the majority of users honestly do not care very much about these issues (as long as the data collected is not used to annoy them later, or intensely personal).
Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see where this discussion leads. Like you said, I think it's best if we avoid the ethical debate of whether it is right/wrong to collect such information, however.
But I see a difference between information I freely provide versus information I don't know I am sharing.
@Barbara, I agree with your opinion. But I am not sure if companies would be willing to share the info how they are going to use the data they are collecting. So I guess the best way for the customer is to avoid sharing the data which he thinks is risky to share.
Dear readers: I just received this directly from OnStar regarding their data policy. I look forward to further discussion on the topic.
OnStar Statement Re:
New Terms & Conditions
The following statement can be attributed to Joanne Finnorn, Vice President, Subscriber Services”
“OnStar has and always will give our customers the choice in how we use their data. We’ve also been very open with our customers about changes in services and privacy terms.
“Under our new Terms and Conditions, when a customer cancels service, we have informed customers that OnStar will maintain a two-way connection to their vehicle
unless they ask us not to do so. In the future, this connection may provide us with the capability to alert vehicle occupants about severe weather conditions such as
tornado warnings or mandatory evacuations. Another benefit for keeping this connection “open” could be to provide vehicle owners with any updated warranty data or recall issues.
“Of course, if the customer requests us to turn off the two-way connection, we will do as we have always done, and that is honor customers’ requests.
“Our guiding practices regarding sharing our subscribers’ personal information have not changed. We are always very specific about with whom we share customers’
personal information, and how they will use it. We have never sold any personally identifiable information to any third party.
“Keeping the two-way connection open will also allow OnStar to capture general vehicle information that could be used in future product development.
“We apologize for creating any confusion about our Terms and Conditions. We want to make sure we are as clear with our customers as possible, but it’s
apparent that we have failed to do this. As always, we are listening to our subscribers’ feedback and we will continue to be open to their suggestions and concerns.”
Barbara, pre market study before launching the product is a common phenomenon in market. But I think most of the pre market studies are conducting by third party agencies and they are selling the samples and data’s to product based companies. This may help to customize the product based on customer requirement.
As long as the BIG DATA provides answerrs to the question "how many" and not "who", it should be left to the companies how they use that data . The companies supplying the Data should convert it to annonymous form so that there is no breach of privacy.
For product companies analysis of such data is very important to decide on the future strategies and for product marketing companies it is important to know the effectiveness of their campaigns
Like in the control systems the "closed loop" systems perform better than the "open loop " systems, same way for a consumer market to be profitable for both the produccer and the consumer , the analytics with the "BIG DATA" are important loop closers.
I am glad to see OnStars policy, and I hope they maintain that stance. One issue that comes up, however, (and this is not an OnStar specific issue) is that, when companies collect these types of 'big data', and find other sources of income for using that data, how loyal will they remain to the original data owner when the new use becomes lucrative? The entity that compiles the data has total control.
Your article should yield a lot of interesting discussion - looking forward the the dialogue.
Thanks for the update, Barbara. It's not completely clear to me whether or not this data can and will be used against individuals in disputes with insurance companies or with the law if the individual does not say s/he objects to the connection.
"It's not completely clear to me whether or not this data can and will be used against individuals in disputes with insurance companies or with the law if the individual does not say s/he objects to the connection."
That is genuine concern. They will probably say that nothing like that will ever happen. Their Terms & Conditions state that if they ever decide to share data they would share it anonymously, whatever that means.
Like in the control systems the "closed loop" systems perform better than the "open loop " systems, same way for a consumer market to be profitable for both the produccer and the consumer , the analytics with the "BIG DATA" are important loop closers.
@prabhakar_deosthali that is an intersting analogy. I agree with you customer feedback is necessary but then companies should make sure that data is held securely and that data is not misused. If customers are taken into confidence that the data they are sharing is secure they wont mind giving their feedback.
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Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
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