Allstate insurance files patent for “Traffic-based Driving Analysis”tool to spy on car owners/drivers
After the operating systems’s and the Internet service providers, its the turn of auto insurance company to spy on you. The second largest insurer in United States has filed a patent for a spying tool which has new ways of monitoring what you do in your car, including everything from the volume of your stereo to the people you ride with.
Jalopnik has reported that Allstate filed the new patent which was discovered on August 11th, details all sorts of things Allstate want to watch you do. According to the patent, Allstate plans to use monitors and cameras fitted in the cars to check on car owners so that their insurance scores and premiums can be decided.
According to Jalopnik, the list of things Allstate wants to check you up on is ridiculously lengthy and includes some weird stuff like who is riding your car with you, how many people you are riding with, the ages of people in your car with you, your phone usage while driving, your eating habits while at the wheel, as well as other potentially distracting objects like animals, bags, trash, or literally anything and everything they can witness going on in your car.
Jalopnik says that Allstate would even consider focusing on your seating position, where your eyes look, and other bodily signs to help determine whether you may be fatigued, intoxicated, or otherwise unfit to drive. Other considerations include additional sensors that would monitor your stereo’s volume, your heart-rate, blood pressure, and even a breathalyzer to detect the alcoholic content in the air.
The new patent also includes monitoring everything being done by the car owner/driver insider the car. They would potentially track the activity of other drivers on the street as well as traffic patterns, weather conditions, road conditions, pedestrians, and other outside hazards and conditions to driving.
The Chicago Tribune reached out to Allstate and got this:
Company spokeswoman Laura Strykowski said the “technology would provide drivers with broader information about traffic conditions and external factors that could better equip them to drive safe.”
There is no information whether the USPTO has granted patent to Allstate for this monitoring tool. If it is granted such kind of patent, we could have a new spy on our hands who is also willing to sell this information to the highest bidder.
