Does anyone know if HondaLink records or reports back to Honda (or anywhere else) on our location, driving habits, etc?

A while back I was reading about an auto reviewer testing a Cadillac. He wanted to check its handling, so he took it out to a winding road. After some spirited driving on the curves, he was startled to hear the OnStar system come on, and ask him if he had had an accident. The person calling him advised that the car had been recording larger-than-normal G-forces, indicating it might have been in a mishap.

The last thing I want Honda or anyone else to know is how fast I drive, how I take corners, where I've been, or anything else about how I use my car. The data could be reported on a real-time basis, or sucked out of the system by the dealer when the car is brought in for service.

So, does anyone here know if anything like that is happening?

 

Here are the HondaLink Terms and Conditions. Have fun:

https://hondalink.honda.com/Information/TermsConditions

 

This is spooky. Hondalink and its data collection capabilities appear to require the user to "opt out," which is, and has been proven to be a tenuous position for other public service providers.

Pay particular attention to the phrase, under the "Collection and Use of Data" section, that says they will disclose your personal information in order to "comply with legal requirements (e.g., to respond to a subpoena)."

Insurance company lawyers are going to love this...

 

No, the HondaLink is spyware.

Oh, but yes indeed, big brother is watching every move you make how you the drive the vehicle.
The vehicle's EDR, Event Data Recorder, similar to a black box on aircraft. Though not nearly as elaborate.
It records about 30 sec of data in a continuous loop and can be collected in the event of an accident.
It collects things like vehicle speed, whether or not seat belts are worn, throttle position, and accelerator position. It monitors braking or VAC emergency braking if activated.

People need to read their owners manuals.
There a disclaimer Honda and mentions how this functions and it is written and found on the very first page of the FIT owner's manual.

You can relax somewhat. This information is only collected or used in the event of an accident. Law enforcement can use to help recreated the accident scene and scenario. It's not collected to watch you. That's not legal. But if your racing and showing off to your buddies and wreck the car, everyone will know!

 

Don't forget Google does the same thing with the Android phones. Notice when you enable "location services" it actually collects your GPS realtime and stores it on their servers. It even mapped my entire route when I went to the Google+ site. Scary.

 

Yeah it is sad that I really like using new technology but I am about over companies trying to spy on me to make money. Did anyone see that in the user manual for the new Samsung Smart TVs it literally says "watch what you say" because it monitors your conversations and sends it to 3rd parties?

 

That's why I still use a flip phone. You need to be able to remove the battery if you really don't want to be tracked for some reason.