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BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

thedrive.com

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Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#41

Post by tyingq »

floatingatoll wrote: post #24

Either BMW changed their mind or overstated what they’re doing, because they are on-record contradicting this story: https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/bmw-targeted-warra... BMW has told Motoring Research its targeted billboard warranty adverts – which are claimed to use number plate registration technology to tailor public adverts to BMW drivers – do not actually draw upon vehicle warranty status. Rather, onl…

That sounds like a weasel word version of "we can detect vehicle warranty status without using PII."

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#42

Post by gambiting »

christophilus wrote: post #8

Wow. Straight out of Minority Report. It seems to me that this would violate laws of some kind.

I suspect they will argue that it doesn't violate laws simply because: the licence plate on your car is public knowledge, they are allowed to scan it with a camera, and since they provide warranty on BMW cars, they own the database that says if that specific car is covered or not. They don't even need to access any of your private information to do this, the two pieces needed are either public(the licence plate) or they own it(knowledge whether that car is covered or not).

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#43

Post by mkl »

StavrosK wrote: post #13
christophilus wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your license plate is public. It’s literally on your car for all to see.

It's not the license plate that's PII, it's whether I've paid my warranty or not.

Having a warranty is boolean, so can't be personally identifying (though it is personal private information). The license plate is unique to your car, so is personally identifying. Edit: the key term is that it's indirectly identifying: https://gdpr.eu/eu-gdpr-personal-data/

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#44

Post by tyingq »

1cvmask wrote: post #18

Makes me want to buy an old mechanical jalopy that can’t be hacked as it is not “smart” and remotely hackable. Charlie Miller demoed remote hacking on a jeep while on the highway, and being hacked is now a lesser fear to me than being shamed: https://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-hig...

In this case, they are mapping the ANPR derived plate to an in-house database, so that doesn't help.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#45

Post by StavrosK »

bluesign wrote: post #37
StavrosK wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the plate itself is PII, like "158.32.44.25" isn't PII. Tying that to a person is what's PII.

It should be PII, otherwise I can put cameras all over the city, log license plates, and sell service for you to query. I think PII according to GDPR is something you can go back to identify a person.

I'm not sure, but I think the times and locations are PII. Maybe the plate is too, though, good question.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#46

Post by gambiting »

floatingatoll wrote: post #24

Either BMW changed their mind or overstated what they’re doing, because they are on-record contradicting this story: https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/bmw-targeted-warra... BMW has told Motoring Research its targeted billboard warranty adverts – which are claimed to use number plate registration technology to tailor public adverts to BMW drivers – do not actually draw upon vehicle warranty status. Rather, onl…

As I just said in another comment - they can figure it out without any private information. Licence plates are public and they are allowed to scan one with a camera, and they provide warranty on all BMW cars, so they know(and have the right to know) if a specific car is covered by them or not. They have all the iformation they need.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#47

Post by samizdis »

christophilus wrote: post #8

Wow. Straight out of Minority Report. It seems to me that this would violate laws of some kind.

I remembered a product mentioned in the Fetish section of Wired, many years ago, that cited a use-case tailor-made for this. Just found it online [1]; it's the second item in the article. It reads:

__ Action Painting __

Paintball is war, pal, and it demands decisive action, like firing 62-mm paint bombs that turn a 75-foot area into a Jackson Pollock death zone. This bipod-mounted mortar can shoot up to four rounds per minute from its 4-foot aluminum barrel, with consistent aim controlled by traverse and elevation-adjustment screws. The M1A's cardboard-jacket shells contain 20 ounces of nonlethal, water-soluble ordnance in a thin urethane casing that explodes harmlessly on impact. Back in the urban jungle, the 46-pound, CO2-powered cannon doubles as an effective billboard-liberation device.

[1] https://www.wired.com/2000/03/fetish-127/

Edited to add the words "that cited a use-case tailor-made for this".

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#48

Post by xwdv »

durnygbur wrote: post #14

I remember reading an interview with BMW designer that the obnoxiously huge front grills are a nod to the Chinese customers. Chinese customers wanted the drivers in front of them to feel intimidated, as if the car and driver behind wanted to eat them. Other premium brands like Lexus followed with this trend.

I’m tired of trashy Chinese tastes gaining so much influence in the world.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#49

Post by peshooo »

iridium_core wrote: post #36

In my circle (relatively young and educated people in a 2nd world country) Tesla has completely supplanted BMW et al as 'the exclusive car brand'.

Maybe your country is moving up the food chain. In my eastern-European country it seems like every third car is an old BMW.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#50

Post by gambiting »

whalesalad wrote: post #34

BMW is the most user-hostile car brand there is. They’re constantly seeking ways to squeeze revenue from their owners in slimy ways. (They charge an annual fee for access to car play, for instance)

In US they are experimenting with locking almost all features of the car behind a subscription model, so the car leaves the factory in nearly "full" spec, but then you need to pay a subscription to unlock features. For instance if you like heated seats, you can pay a fee and have them unlocked for a year. Or a radar-based cruise control, or satellite radio, or sport driving modes - everything will have its own price.

Their argument is that in US, something like 90% of all new BMWs are leased - so it's "great" for customers and for businesses, since you can now lease a BMW for your employee very cheaply in the most "basic" spec, and if they want some extra features they can pay for them themselves.

Obviously, it's horseshit. But that's the argument they are using.

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