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Effective as of May 2006
WE TAKE PRIVACY SERIOUSLY
At OnStar Canada Corporation ("OnStar") we respect your privacy. You don't want your personal information to fall into the wrong hands. Neither does OnStar.
OnStar Services include a broad and evolving array of safety, security, convenience and communications services that are delivered using on-board car electronics, wireless telecommunication technologies, the internet and global positioning satellite location information. This Privacy Statement and our Privacy Policy describe what and how we collect, use and share personal and vehicle specific information that OnStar obtains in connection with or as a result of services provided to customers in Canada. These privacy practices apply to past, current, and potential future customers as well as any others who may be involved in an OnStar service event.
We protect the personal information we gather. As described in the Terms and Conditions of your OnStar Service, we may collect Personal Information about you and, when OnStar Services are used, about other occupants of your vehicle, and information about your vehicle, in several different ways: from what you and your vehicle dealer provide to us when you register for or use OnStar Service or buy or lease your vehicle; from use of OnStar Services by you or the occupants of your vehicle; from OnStar web pages you visit, or your calls or emails to us; from our wireless service providers and XM Canada; and from your vehicle itself when your OnStar equipment is active. The information we get from your vehicle may include data about its operation, about your use of OnStar Services, about where your vehicle is just before and during requests for OnStar Service in your vehicle, and (depending on your OnStar equipment) data about accidents involving your vehicle (for example, the direction from which your vehicle was hit).
OnStar may use this Personal Information and the information about your vehicle, including contact information and the types of services that you purchase and use to: (a) provide OnStar services to you or your vehicle (including sharing that information with roadside assistance providers, emergency service providers, or others, as needed or locating your vehicle in conjunction with providing OnStar Services); (b) check or maintain your OnStar equipment; (c) provide information to the maker of your car about the car's performance and to enable the maker of your car to comply with law; (d) help you or managers of fleets of cars (if your car is part of a fleet) to maintain the car, via data such as oil life, odometer and diagnostic trouble code information; (e) evaluate and improve our service; (f) enforce the OnStar Service Terms and Conditions with you or others; (g) prevent fraud or misuse of OnStar service; (h) comply with legal requirements, valid court orders and exigent circumstances including the provision of information to law enforcement personnel in response to a subpoena or other legal process; (i) protect the rights, property, or safety of you or others; (j) offer you new or additional products or services; (k) perform market research; or (l) use and share aggregate customer information and statistics that do not include information that identifies you personally.
Additionally OnStar may share your contact information, information about your current OnStar Services, your vehicle's Vehicle Identification Number, and information about the use of your vehicle's features with the maker of your vehicle (and its wholly-owned subsidiaries), with vehicle dealers, XM Canada, and with our wireless service providers for purposes of offering you products and services.
OnStar will record and randomly monitor conversations by you or others from your vehicle with us, with emergency service providers, or with the police to maintain or improve the quality of OnStar Service, for training purposes, or to administer, promote and provide OnStar service. Our OnStar Advisors also may remain on the line if they conference in a third party to assist in completing a service request. All information that we collect may be stored, analyzed and processed outside of Canada.
It is important to note that except as provided above, OnStar will not locate your vehicle and will not disclose information about your vehicle or its location. As set forth in the OnStar Service Terms and Conditions, it is the responsibility of the subscriber to advise all vehicle occupants how information about them may be collected, used and disclosed.
If these intended uses are not reasonably obvious from the circumstances in which personal information is collected, we will provide you with an opportunity to withhold your consent to the collection, use or disclosure of the information for certain purposes. For example, you will always have the ability use our toll free number (1.888.4.ONSTAR or 1.888.466.7827) to tell us not to use the personal information that we collect for marketing purposes. Keep in mind, however, that there are certain situations in which applicable laws require or allow us, our affiliates, suppliers, business partners and your dealer(s)/retailer(s) to collect, use/disclose personal information without consent. They include, for example, safety and law enforcement/compliance activities (e.g. responding to a court order or subpoena).
For more information, please read the OnStar Privacy Statement for Canadian Consumers set forth below.
Current customers and any other users of OnStar Services are subject to our present Terms and Conditions. Click here to view.
Privacy InquiriesIf you have a question regarding this privacy statement or a concern about our privacy practices, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions at the end of this document, contact us via email at PrivacyManager@onstar.com, call 1.888.4.ONSTAR (1.888.466.7827) or TTY 1.877.248.2080 or write us at P.O. Box 0217, Troy, Michigan 48099-0217. Email responses and letter replies will be sent within three business days of receipt.
Collection and Use of Personal and Car Information
Collection of Information :
What Information is Collected and How
OnStar may collect Personal Information about you and, when OnStar Services are used, about other occupants of your vehicle, and information about your vehicle, in several different ways:
1. From what you and your vehicle dealer provide to us when you register for or use OnStar Service or buy or lease your vehicle. For example, when you subscribe to OnStar at the time of purchase or lease of a vehicle or thereafter, your vehicle dealer or retailer will collect information about you that will be shared with OnStar to provide the OnStar Service.
2. From use of OnStar Services by you or the occupants of your vehicle. For example, we may collect information about you when you use OnStar Services such as your requests for routing information in order to help us customize our Services.
3. From OnStar web pages you visit, or your calls and emails to us. For example, you may contact OnStar via phone or email with a question regarding your current subscription package with OnStar. Our advisors will collect information such as name, account number and PIN in order to provide you the assistance you require.
4. From our wireless service providers and XM Canada.
5. From your vehicle itself when your OnStar Equipment is active. For example, when there is an air bag deployment or when we retrieve diagnostic data from your vehicle.
Information we collect about you includes: contact information (such as name, mailing address, email address, phone number and language preference); credit card and payment information (such as cardholder name, card number and subscription package and OnStar Hands-Free Calling minute purchases); and other personal information that helps us customize our services, such as your requests for emergency assistance or driving directions.
The information we get from your vehicle may include data about its operation (such as oil life remaining, odometer and diagnostic codes), about your use of OnStar Services, about where your vehicle is just before and during requests for OnStar service in your vehicle, and (depending on your OnStar equipment) data about accidents involving your vehicle (for example, the direction from which your vehicle was hit and which air bags have deployed).
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT: OnStar only knows where your car is when a user initiates a request for service, there is an Air Bag Deployment, an Automatic Crash Response occurs, your OnStar equipment calls OnStar with data updates or OnStar is required to locate the car by a valid court order in criminal procedures.
Use of Your Information
OnStar may use Personal Information and the information about your vehicle, including contact information and the types of services that you purchase and use to: (a) provide OnStar Services to you or your vehicle (including sharing that information with roadside assistance providers, emergency service providers, or others, as needed or locating your vehicle in conjunction with providing OnStar Services); (b) check or maintain your OnStar equipment; (c) provide information to the maker of your car about the car's performance and to enable the maker of your vehicle to comply with law; (d) help you or managers of fleets of cars (if your car is part of a fleet) to maintain the car, via data such as oil life, odometer and diagnostic trouble code information; (e) evaluate and improve our service; (f) enforce the OnStar Service Terms and Conditions with you or others; (g) prevent fraud or misuse of OnStar Service; (h) comply with legal requirements, valid court orders and exigent circumstances including the provision of information to law enforcement personnel in response to a subpoena or other legal process; (i) protect the rights, property, or safety of you or others; (j) offer you new or additional products or services; (k) perform market research; or (l) use and share aggregate customer information and statistics that do not include information that identifies you personally.
Information Sharing
OnStar may share your contact information, information about your current OnStar services, your vehicle's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and information about the use of your vehicle's features with the maker of your car (and its wholly-owned subsidiaries), with vehicle dealers, XM Canada, and with our wireless service providers for purposes of offering you products and services. Your information may also be shared with our suppliers for the exclusive purpose of providing services for us and with our business partners exclusively to conduct joint marketing programs with OnStar. We may also share your personal information or your vehicle's information with our business partners in other circumstances with your permission. OnStar will not share your personal information with other third parties for their independent use without your permission.
We'll record and randomly monitor conversations by you or others from your vehicle with us, with emergency service providers, or with the police to maintain or improve the quality of OnStar service, for training purposes, or to promote and provide OnStar Service. We may also randomly monitor your interactions with OnStar's automated services such as OnStar Virtual Advisor for quality improvement purposes. Please note that our OnStar Advisors may also remain on the line if they conference in a third party, such as dealership personnel or hotel reservation centers, to assist in completing a service request.
Additional OnStar Services Information
Hands-Free Calling
The OnStar equipment maintains a balance of the remaining number of Hands-Free Calling minutes in your vehicle.
If you purchase a new vehicle, your OnStar equipment will automatically call OnStar to perform a cellular validation of your system. That is, your OnStar equipment will call OnStar to complete the setup necessary to fully activate your Hands-Free Calling. If you received courtesy Hands-Free Calling minutes when you purchased your vehicle (or activated or paid for your account), the OnStar equipment in your vehicle may automatically call OnStar to let us know if you have used any of your minutes. If you have not, we may send you a reminder so you can take advantage of these minutes before they expire.
ONSTAR CANNOT LISTEN TO, VIEW, OR RECORD THE CONTENT OF CALLS MADE USING HANDS-FREE CALLING.
Should you choose to use Hands-Free Calling to dial 911 in an emergency situation rather than contacting OnStar, and your car contains certain OnStar equipment, the location of your car at the time the call was made may be provided to the public safety or dispatch personnel who answered your call.
Bell Minute-Sharing with OnStar
Since participation in the Bell Minute-Sharing with OnStar plan requires you to have an active OnStar subscription, it is necessary for us to check your subscription status and provide that information to Bell Mobility so they may verify your eligibility for the program. We will also receive notice from Bell Mobility that you joined the Bell Minute-Sharing with OnStar plan so that we can make the appropriate changes within your OnStar account, including turning off your ability to purchase PrePaid Hands-Free Calling minute packages from us.
OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics
If you sign up for OnStar's Vehicle Diagnostics service, we will send you monthly email communications regarding some of the maintenance needs of your vehicle to the designated email address on file. These notices will continue until you contact us to stop the OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics service or your OnStar subscription ends. Should you sell (or otherwise get rid of) your vehicle while the OnStar subscription is still active, you must contact us immediately so that we can discontinue the communication, mark your account appropriately and possibly transfer any remaining service to another OnStar-equipped vehicle you may have.
XM Radio
When your vehicle is equipped with both OnStar and XM Radio, and you receive a complementary trial listening period for XM, the OnStar equipment in your vehicle may automatically call OnStar to provide us the amount of time XM is used in your car. This information will be used to help improve the dealership delivery processes. OnStar will not collect data regarding the specific stations you have visited while listening to XM. XM Radio maintains its own privacy statement. Click here to visit the XM Canada website and their privacy statement.
OnStar Websites
You may use OnStar's websites to learn about our services without disclosing any personal information. There are also several opportunities on our websites for you to provide us with information about you, such as your name, mailing address and email address, to request information, enroll in promotional programs, make a payment or purchase additional OnStar services.
We may use "cookies" and other tracking devices on our websites. Using cookies on our sites provides benefits to you, such as allowing you to maintain your account login information between visits, or maintaining your session information, such as your vehicle type. The use of cookies also allows us to measure site activity to provide a better user experience. Cookies and other tracking devices may be used to tell us the time and length of your visit, the pages you look at on our site, the site you visited just before coming to ours, and the name of your Internet service provider.
You may elect to refuse cookies. Please refer to your browser's Help instructions to learn more about cookies and how to manage their use.
Our sites may contain links to third party sites not controlled by OnStar or covered by this privacy statement. We recommend that you check the privacy statement of other sites you visit before providing any personal information.
Security of Your Personal Information
OnStar provides service to your vehicle through wireless networks. Although it is illegal for unauthorized people to intercept your calls, such interceptions of wireless communications can occur.
OnStar implements and maintains reasonable technical, physical, and administrative safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of customer information under OnStar's control from theft, loss, misuse, improper disclosure, distribution or alteration. If we collect sensitive information, such as credit card information, it is encrypted when submitted through our websites.
Personal Identification Number (PIN)
OnStar uses a Personal Identification Number, or PIN, to help identify authorized users of the service in certain situations. You will be asked for your four-digit PIN when requesting Remote Door Unlock, Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance, Remote Horn and Lights and some account maintenance services. You can change your PIN or add other authorized users of your car on to your account with their own PIN at any time by contacting an OnStar advisor from your car, calling 1.888.4.ONSTAR (1.888.466.7827) or TTY 1.877.248.2080. To inquire about a forgotten PIN contact us at the numbers above or email us at ContactUs@onstar.com or TTY@onstar.com to obtain your PIN by mail. OnStar will provide secured services to users who provide the correct PIN.
Control of Your Personal Information
How Can I Access and Correct Errors in My Information?
You may modify, correct, change, or update your contact information at any time by contacting an OnStar Advisor from your car, or calling 1.888.4.ONSTAR (1.888.466.7827) or TTY 1.877.248.2080. While OnStar uses reasonable efforts to ensure that the information we hold about you is accurate, complete and current, we generally rely on you to inform us about changes to your contact or other relevant information (e.g., name, address, telephone number, etc).
Can I Opt-Out of OnStar Marketing Promotions and Initiatives?
You may also contact us to be placed on our do-not-contact lists (mail, email and telephone) so you won't receive marketing materials from us. You will have to provide your OnStar PIN as verification before you are placed on the list. If you are a current OnStar subscriber on this list, you will still receive information about any safety and product recalls and notice regarding automatic payment or deactivation of your services. Once your name is restricted from contact, you will not receive future marketing offers from OnStar. However, if you contact us to request information about OnStar, you will receive information regarding your request, regardless of your contact status.
How Can I Contact OnStar?
You can contact OnStar at any time by contacting an OnStar Advisor, by pressing the blue OnStar button in your vehicle, or calling 1.888.4.ONSTAR (1.888.466.7827) or TTY 1.877.248.2080.
Changes to the OnStar Privacy Statement
We may change this statement at any time by posting a notice on the OnStar website. We encourage you to occasionally review this statement to better understand how OnStar is protecting your information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does OnStar continuously monitor my car's location?
A: No, OnStar does not continuously or routinely monitor, update or otherwise track the location of OnStar-equipped cars. OnStar only knows the location of a car when a user initiates a request for service, there is an Air Bag Deployment, an Automatic Crash Response occurs, your OnStar equipment calls OnStar with data updates or when required to locate a car by a valid court order in criminal procedures or under exigent circumstances. OnStar requires police involvement for Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance and missing person requests.
Q: If I am assigned as a primary driver of an OnStar-equipped car that is owned or leased by the company I work for, will you ever provide the location of that car to the company?
A: No, we do not provide the car's location to your company or to a fleet leasing company that may be managing your company's car fleet. OnStar only provides the location of a car to emergency service, roadside assistance or law enforcement personnel to assist in delivering services unless we are required to comply with a valid court order in criminal procedures or under exigent circumstances.
Q: If I drive a rental car equipped with OnStar, will you ever provide the location of my vehicle to the rental company?
A: OnStar will provide the location of a rental car to the rental company only if the location is vital to completing a driver's service request. For example, if you were involved in an accident where your rental car was no longer drivable and contacted OnStar, we would provide the rental car agency the location of the car so that they can send out the appropriate resources to pick up the damaged car and provide you with a new rental, if needed.
Q: If I'm not talking with an OnStar Advisor, or an Advisor and a third party conferenced in at my request, does OnStar monitor conversations in my car?
A: It is not possible for OnStar advisors to monitor car occupant conversations without notice to the occupants. When an advisor calls into your vehicle, a light flashes, there is a ring, and the radio mutes. Even if requested, it is not possible for OnStar to override this functionality. In addition, calls through the OnStar system are normally audible through the stereo speakers, and cars programmed with text display capabilities can see an indicator of a connection to OnStar on the driver's instrument panel. Moreover, OnStar's policy requires Advisors to announce their presence immediately upon establishing a call with the vehicle.
Q: What do you mean when you say "independent use" of personal information?
A: By independent use, we mean for purposes unrelated to the offering of products and services by OnStar, your car manufacturer (including its wholly-owned subsidiaries) and dealer.
Q: Will you use my personal information to send me emails?
A: Yes, we may. If so, we will give you an opportunity to opt-out of receiving marketing emails in the future.
Q: Does OnStar request or record highly sensitive personal information, like my social insurance number?
A: OnStar does not collect or record full social insurance number, government driver's license number, bank account information (other than information required to process purchases), bank passwords or your mother's maiden name from our past, current or potential future customers. If you receive mail, an email message or a telephone call from someone requesting the above information as part of an OnStar transaction, do not provide this information. Obtain as much information as possible from the person making the request and contact OnStar immediately at 1.888.4.ONSTAR (1.888.466.7627) or TTY 1.877.248.2080.
Q: What is an example of a supplier that provides services to OnStar?
A: Suppliers are companies such as advertising and marketing agencies, which provide services on OnStar's behalf.
Q: Is OnStar the same thing as an Event Data Recorder, sometimes called a "Black Box?"
A: No, OnStar is not the same as an Event Data Recorder. However, OnStar will use some of the same information that is collected by the Event Data Recorder in the event of an Air Bag Deployment or Automatic Crash Response to help provide services to you.
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