‘Cnil guides carmakers, insurers on location-based services’

French data protection agency Cnil has produced recommendations on geolocation systems offered to drivers by insurers and carmakers. The body examined the offer of pay as you drive (PAYD), anti-theft and emergency call applications. PAYD aims to make it possible to to calculate insurance premiums based on monitoring of vehicle use conditions (mph, driving time, speed). Cnil also examined systems to locate vehicles that are stolen or in an accident. Earlier in April, the body adopted a recommendation for carmakers and insurance companies concerning integrated geolocation devices. In the first instance, Cnil states that if insurers, for example, wanted information on vehicle speed, they would only be given an average figure. If a premium calculation system is not designed to be deactivated, insurance companies must provide information and get users' consent. Cnil recommends that as much location data as possible be processed at the vehicle level. Data can only be kept for strictly the amount of time necessary to calculate the premium. Insurers will have limited data. There ought to be a minimum of data exchange between the service provider and the insurance provider. On the vehicle recovery front, the data protection agency wants car owners to not be provided with vehicle data to avoid them taking the law into their own hands by searching for it.

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