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

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141–150 of 351 posts

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

#141
post #70
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You probably waived through all of that on GDPR consent page of your BMW app.

Following GDPR it should be possible possible for users to revoke a given consent.

It is possible to delete application data under Privacy and Terms tab, but I see nothing about revoking consent (I have the app).

They probably would if you write them.

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

#142
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because you're crossing public data with data you own does not mean you are not breaking the law.

Ok, but then I'm genuienly curious - which laws are being broken? Licence plates in the UK can be scanned by automated machines owned by private companies, that's been established many times before. To request the owner data from the DVLA you need their permission - but that's not necessary here, BMW doesn't need to know anything about the owner, so no such request would be made to the DVLA. Then on the other side, t…

In EU, this would probably still violate GDPR. They need your consent to use any personal data (data about a person) for anything else than the core service they provide.

Can the car license be tracked back to you? If yes, then anything attached to it is still personal. For example subscriptions or maintenance status.

Can they use this information to deny you access to their services if the subscription expires? Yes! Can they call you that it's about to expire? Probably yes. Can they call you about this other service? No way! Can they publicly shame you? I'd sue them.

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

#143
It makes sense, BMW quit being a car company in the past few years.

Now they’re just clueless assholes. I’ve seen it in their IT systems, their design teams are either on crack or got outsourced to 4 year olds and their product/sales gurus are a mix of bean counters incapable of producing an original idea and a bunch of lifers running on nepotism.

It’s starting to happen and will get even worse, BMW will have a tough decade at least.

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

#144

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…

This is possible now that Brexit has happened. Whether the UK will need to comply with GDPR or not is dependent on the deal Boris strikes with the EU, if indeed he ever does.

Not quite - GDPR has been onshored into UK law and in effect little changes.

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-at-the-...

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

#145

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.…

Not only in the US. 15 years ago when aircon wasn't yet standard in Germany, they added it to all cars anyways and just deactivated the controls in software. So you still get decreased mileage from weight and friction for the compressor, increased accident-risk for the gas filling, but have to pay extra to get a bit flipped at your friendly dealer to use it...

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

#147
post #137
post #6

Would this not be misuse of PII? You own a particular vehicle registration mark as much as you own a particular phone number, and both can reasonably be used to identify an individual (motor database verus telephone database).

Why does BMW even store the license plate? Is the warranty tied to a license plate? And if so, why?

They almost certainly don't, most likely there's some lookup table to find VIN from a license plate. I live in the US but I just looked up my VIN correctly by my license plate on VINcheck.info

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

#148

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.

Lexus was first with the absurdly large grills with their "Spindle Grill" design around 2014. BMW was next with the 7-Series and X7, followed quickly by Mercedes.

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

#149
post #2

BMW jerks deserve to be shamed. :P This claim is disputed.

It would be interesting to see stats on aggressive driving by brand. My guess is that BMW drivers would be well near the most aggressive on the list.

Over here Audi and Volvo drivers also know their way around the gas pedal.

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

#150
post #57

I used to really like BMWs but they have lost their way in my opinion. Front wheel drive models, charging a subscription for Apple CarPlay, that 4-series grill, increasingly horrific customer service at dealers and foregoing their position as the market leader in handling and dynamics really rub me up the wrong way.

> Front wheel drive models,

Better for driving on snow, if you're at a place where that matters.

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