Boats For Sale - Fishing, Sail, Power, New, Used

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 seems that Progressive Insurance and IBM have worked out a scheme to pay drivers to be safer - by monitoring their every move in their own cars, and how fast they make that move, and where they park, and what time they drive.

The program is being tested in Minnesota and in the U.K. in a privacy busting program that rewards drivers for keeping under the maximum speed limits and driving during safer times of day. It's an interesting twist that is compared here to a shopper reward card that monitors what you buy, although it doesn't give you lower prices if you buy healthy food - which seems like the best analogy. (But it does let the food chains know how often you shop and how much you spend on what types of food, and alcohol, and cigarettes and trashy tabloids.)

Drivers must attach an electronic monitor to their cars that downloads information which is generated and stored there in diagnostic chips included in most newer model vehicles. As they drive, it stores current driving behavior - and location - and driving times and at the end of the defined time, drivers take the unit into the house, attach a USB cable and download that information into their computer and transmit it to Progressive.

But the insurance discount program does have an interesting twist in the Minnesota test. Apparently drivers who see from their downloaded information (or just know they drove badly at times) that they exceeded maximum speed limits, drove during expensive times (2am when bars close is most expensive, after 11pm is next) can choose NOT to send that information to Progressive and pay the normal undiscounted insurance rate.

It appears to have the true benefit of making drivers become more cautious and drive within limits of the law during safe hours. There is nothing wrong with this for those willing to give up the information. This allows those willing to be monitored the choice to send the information to their insurer and get a discount or NOT send it to pay normal rates. It's worth considering.

I'm among those who continues to use supermarket loyalty cards, even though I despise the fact that they can see my purchase history and note my travel habits. The savings are just too great to pass up. (I used a false name to set the card up, but quickly noted that they tied together my debit card name and loyalty card purchases, thus gaining that information that I had denied them with the false name - now I use cash.) You certainly can't do the same with the insurance driving discounts. Information must be accurate to properly insure and discount the policy.

The UK program is more invasive and offers far less choice. Drivers must always download the information from the car module to gain insurance discounts and the British company monitors more information from those UK drivers.

The US version may have some merit if choice remains a part of the equation upon full rollout to American drivers who want that ten percent discount on auto insurance policies in exchange for giving up the privacy of their driving habits.

The disturbing part of this, again, as always, is the possible merging of multiple databases to form near perfect surveillance pictures of us with each new development. Our supermarket discounts show that big database what we eat, what else we buy at the grocery, the insurance information defines our travels and schedule, our credit and debit card use defines our spending, travel and lifestyles, while multiple other databases from airline security info to phone records can be merged at any time to form near perfect pictures of our lives for anyone that wants to access it.

Once a national ID (driver licenses will soon carry mandatory magnetic information and will serve as a defacto national ID), we can be fully monitored, tracked, analyzed and digitized to form a truly invasive database of numbers and bits of information about each of us.

The sources of data about each of us are growing daily. The concern is the loss or abuse of that data through commercial and/or governmental negligence and/or criminal intent. The methods to access that data are growing as the sources proliferate.

Privacy is something we give up in small bits for small benefits, like cheaper produce using supermarket loyalty cards and insurance discounts using car monitors hooked up to our insurance carrier. We need laws to control and safegaurd each of those databases and stop any merging of those multiple sources of data into the ultimate Big Brother database.

I want my car insurance reduced and I'm willing to consider this newest scheme if I have choice of whether to send my info to my insurer. I will send it when I've been good and won't when I have been less good. But I don't want it merged with my other sources of data or shared among commercial interests who may see fit to sell it to each other.

It gets more interesting daily. Who is in control of this privacy devouring data monster?

Mike Banks Valentine blogs on privacy issues at: http://PrivacyNotes.com/privacy_blog/ You can subscribe to the RSS feed by entering My Yahoo or My MSN at: http://privacynotes.com/privacy_blog/atom.xml Web Content Resource From http://Publish101.com

MORE ARTICLES:

Bass Fishing Boats: Advice For The First Time Buyer
Bass fishing is a great past time that many people, both young and old enjoy. Once you get the taste of bass fishing, you might decide that you want to venture into buying your first bass fishing boat. This is truly an exciting experience, so it is best that you get some advice, being a first time buyer of a bass fishing boat.

Boats.org's New Complete Boating Weather Center "Outshines" All Others
Boats.org adds weather, tides, solunar tables, and feeding times to their boating site.

How To Get A Boat Loan - Boat Loans in Australia
Getting a boat loan is not very difficult with numerous lenders competing for your time and business. It is however important that you prepare before you seek financing from any one of those lenders. Here are some issues that you may like to look at.

Tips For Choosing A Deep Sea Fishing Charter Boat
Hiring a charter boat for deep sea fishing is a very exciting way to spend your time. To make sure you get the most out of the experience there are some basic elements you want to cover before you hire the charter boat. First you need to decide what type of fish you are after. This will help you identify the best fishing locations offering that particular type of fish.

Repossessed Boats For Sale-How To Find The Top Repossessed Boats Available
Buying repossessed boats for sale offers a great opportunity for you save a lot of money in your next boat buying experience. A repossessed boat is something that the bank or financial institution takes back from somebody who defaulted on a loan payment. Therefore, the bank is in a hurry to get rid of these vehicles, and you'll often times get the dirt cheap prices.

The Right Boat Trailer Can Protect Your Boat From Hazards
Owning a boat is just the beginning. In order to get your new boat from one location to another, you're going to need a boat trailer. In fact, boat trailers come in many different styles and weight capacities, so a little research in advance will help you make the right decision when it comes to deciding what kind of boat trailer you need.

Boat Covers - A Necessity For All Boat Owners
Boat covers are a very important boat accessory, and are a great way to protect your pride and joy. Owning a boat comes with many responsibilities, and proper maintenance is one of them.

Aluminum Fishing Boats - How to Find the Highest Quality Fishing Boats Without Breaking the Bank
Finding aluminum fishing boats is becoming easier and easier, because so many people are buying them that there are more available to choose from These are becoming more widely used than fiberglass and steel boats, and youýre about to find out why

How To Choose The Best Bass Fishing Boat And Lures
Bass Fishing Boats and Lures

Fishing on Your Pontoon Boat
Fishing on your pontoon boat can be both a relaxing and fun experience. Fishing from a pontoon boat can much more enjoyable than fishing on other smaller vessels.

Let Bass Boats Enhance Your Fishing Expedition
Fishing is a great American pastime, and thousands of bass fishermen set out each year to enjoy the great outdoors, fish for bass and swap tales of the big one that got away. Many people aren't aware that some boats are made specifically for bass fishing, and good bass boats can make all the difference between success and failure.

Boat Covers - Why They Are An Essential Boat Accessory
Boat covers play a very significant role in the protection of your boat. Purchasing a boat is a heavy investment, and it is also a very valuable asset if you like to spend a lot of time on the water. Therefore, your boat requires complete safety from dust, grime, dirt and airborne particles.

From Personal Belly Boats to High Performance Racers - An Overview of Inflatable Boats
Inflatable boats, also called rubber boats or dinghies, have been around in one form or another for thousands of years. They now come in many different sizes and models and include inflatable kayaks, sport boats, and inflatable catamarans.

Great Lakes Boat Top Offers Factory Boat Covers and Tops to Sea Ray Boat Owners
Great Lakes Boat Top, maker of high quality marine canvas for sixteen boat manufacturers has recently launched a promotional campaign targeting Sea Ray boat owners in need of replacement boat enclosures and covers such as bimini tops, cockpit covers, camper tops and a variety of other types of boat covers.

Charter Boat Operator Stabbed by Leaping Marlin: And Other Bizarre but True Fishing Stories
The new book "Fishing's Greatest Misadventures" (Casagrande Press, November 2008) contains true stories of fishing disasters, unlikely catches, pranks, and other bizarre calamities. Inside the pages you'll discover a 200-lb catfish that sinks an angler's boat, a pike that destroys a lake cabin, and a man who put six holes in his boat attempting to shoot what he had just landed.