Rental companies who place GPS devices in their vehicles are taking liberties and invading people’s privacy, CLA’s spokesman and director Tim Vines has told reporters. The information gathered could be dangerous to the renter – every digital system is vulnerable to hacking or leaks.
Rent-car firms take liberties
Rental companies and owners may want to keep track of their products, but installing GPS units and tracking renters is an excessive invasion of privacy, CLA Director and media spokesperson Tim Vines said.
It can also create a dangerous situation for the renter, he said in answer to a media question in February 2011.
"When you hire a car you provide photo ID, pay a deposit and hand over your credit card details. Now renters are being told that isn’t enough – you have to be tagged and monitored," he said.
CLA is concerned that storing GPS logs exposes the renter to potential privacy and safety risks: it is taking liberties with people’s privacy.
"Not all rentals are for family holidays and tracking a person’s movement can reveal more than they wish to share. A car parked at one location regularly could indicate where you work or live or where you drop your kids off for school each morning.
"If WikiLeaks and the hacking of Google’s email system has proven anything, it’s that every digital system is vulnerable and information can be obtained by hacking in or relying on a disgruntled employee," Mr Vines said.
CLA believes that the use of such tracking devices should be disclosed upfront and "in large bold type" not squirreled away in the fine print.
"People have the right to decide whether they want someone to monitor their everyday movements and, if they object, we’d encourage them to take their business elsewhere," he said.
– Media release, issued 10 Feb 2011