U.S. Justice Department Stepping Up Google Maps Probe
Probe originated in late 2020
The U.S. Justice Department is stepping up a Google Maps probe to see if the company is promoting monopolistic practices in its mapping business that hampers third-party apps.
According to published reports, DoJ is looking whether Google’s Android Automotive, which requires car manufacturers to install Google Assistant, YouTube Music and Play Store, triggers antitrust action. DoJ is also scrutinizing Google Maps’ terms of service (ToS) to see whether it limits how developers use its map data. Right now, a third-party navigation company cannot use Maps APIs because it would compete with Google Maps.
The Justice Department launched its probe in late 2020, but Reuters reported that it has not received much legislative interest until very recently.
Google has been under fire recently as three U.S. states and the District of Columbia have sued Google for alleged ‘deceptive’ collection of location data on Android devices. The attorney generals of Texas, Washington state and Indiana joined with the District saying that Google makes it hard for users to stop sharing their location data, among other allegations.
In other company news, Google Maps is now updated to tell drivers toll pricing in more than 2,000 roads across the U.S., India, Japan and Indonesia. While Google Maps included which roads had tolls, it did not give detailed information on the cost of using a toll pass or other payment methods, what the day of the week it is, along with how much the toll is expected to cost at the specific time you’ll be crossing it, according to a company blog.
In addition, future map updates include traffic lights and stop signs along a route, enhanced details like building outlines and areas of interest. In select cities, drivers will be able to assess the shape and width of a road, including medians and islands, according to the blog.
Report Says California Poised to ‘Opt-Out’ Geolocation Tracking
A new Consumer Watchdog report may ruffle feathers in the industry as it says that California is developing rules to battle consumer privacy issues from connected cars and location technology.
The new rules will be part of Prop 24—the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which “should preclude insurance companies and automakers from using precise geolocation without consumer permission,” according to the report. The report, "Connected Cars and The Threat to Your Privacy" says if the new geolocation rule and other privacy regulations “withstand industry lobbying, it will prevent a host of privacy abuses identified.”
The report said that California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara “is working with the industry on a plan to allow data transmitted from cars to be used for insurance pricing, despite the ban on the practice in California.”
While California could be the first state in the nation with an “opt-out” for geo-location that could take effect by 2023, the report contends location data can be turned off on your cellphone, but there is an opt-out feature for your car.
"Consumers should have the right to say no to being tracked in their cars" said the report's author, Justin Kloczko, in a statement. "California's new privacy law offers the best hope for limits on automotive surveillance if the California Privacy Protection Agency fulfills its mandate to give consumers an opt out right. Just because you subscribe to GPS does not mean carmakers and insurance companies should have a blank check to use or sell your data for whatever they want."
The report also contends:
13 leading automakers reviewed by the United States General Accounting Office reported collecting, using and sharing data from connected vehicles' location and operations.
Car companies, including General Motors, Toyota, Ford, reserve the right to collect, use and share data in order to track and market products.
Car manufacturers are working with software companies to bring advertising right into the dashboard. Information from Chevy's OnStar Service is directly fed to apps for Dominos, IHOP, and Shell, among others. Geolocation data customers include retailers like Starbucks, so they can better know when a person is likely to buy a cup of coffee.
Telenav touts its "freemium" model popularized by streaming services such as Hulu and Spotify, where in exchange for free services, consumers will be flashed with ads.
California's insurance market is the epicenter of the latest fight over use the telematics, data transmitted from cars. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara recently started a Twitter fight with Elon Musk over using telematics data collected by cars in insurance rate setting.
Monimoto Releases Study Critical of Amazon AirTag
Monimoto has published a report detailing the challenges of using Apple's AirTag to secure a motorcycle versus a GPS-based tracking device such as its Monimoto 7. Monimoto, based in Vilnius, Lithuania, says that AirTag has recently been criticized for its use in stalking or following individuals against their will.
The company says that Apple's mitigation procedures have added to the reasons to be skeptical of its ability to protect a motorcycle, bicycle or automobile.
"Apple is wise to take steps to stop the use of AirTags as a way to stalk someone," said Andrius Rimkunas, Monimoto co-founder, in a statement. "However, these procedures, and the AirTag's reliance on other Apple devices for location and communications, are exactly why motorcycle owners should select a different device.”
Apple AirTags use Bluetooth technology to connect to any Apple device in a nearby area. However, Monimoto contends, unlike GPS tracking devices, that when an owner realizes that an item is missing, it could take hours after a theft for AirTag to provide its location.
"AirTags are wonderful for finding lost keys or a backpack. But our advice to riders is that a locked motorcycle and a high-quality GPS tracker is the best way to protect the investment they've made in their motorcycle," Rimkunas said.
Monimoto, which says it has achieved revenue growth of 100 percent year over year for three consecutive years, has projected revenue of $5 million for 2022. In addition, the company said it would be rolling out an updated version of its tracker this quarter.
Contact: Monimoto, partnerships@monimoto.com, www.monimoto.com.
Other Location News:
News tip? Send them to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
👍 Qualcomm Has Completed Its Acquisition of Arriver. “This [digital framework] includes the Snapdragon Ride Platform for automated driving and ADAS, the Auto Connectivity Platform for cellular-connected services, cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and precise positioning, and the next generation of the Snapdragon Cockpit, a digital cockpit and infotainment system.”
😒 Russia Responsible for GPS Jamming in Europe, French Air Safety Official Claims. “Russia is to blame for recent GPS jamming incidents that have affected aircraft over Finland, the Baltic Sea and near Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, a top French air safety official has said.”
🚒 Apple Maps Now Supports Real-time Road Alerts From Emergency Vehicles. “Apple Maps now supports real-time alerts sourced from Safety Cloud, a digital alerting platform used by emergency responders and construction zones.”
☹ Russia's Yandex Lays off Two Dozen US-based Workers From Its Robot and Self-driving Teams. “In the days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Yandex paused its AV testing in Ann Arbor, as well as its tests with six-wheeled delivery robots at several college campuses in Ohio and Arizona.”
🚗 Verizon-Cisco Collaboration Advances Autonomous Vehicle Tech. “Cisco and Verizon collaborated on a successful proof of concept demo in Las Vegas, showing that cellular and mobile edge compute (MEC) technology can enable autonomous driving solutions without the use of costly physical Roadside Units to extend radio signals.”
🛩 FedEx Teases Texas Drone-Delivery Demo. “Starting sometime next year in Texas (FedEx initially said it will take place around Fort Worth, but a final location has not been determined), the delivery firm will test a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone from Elroy Air.”
🥇 Dronesentry-C2 Launched in Partnership With Nearmap. “Nearmap provides city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, geospatial tools, and high-resolution aerial imagery in Australia, New Zealand and North America.”
🛴 On the Road for Better Safety with Commsignia. Commsignia collaborated with Spoke using Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon 2150 Platform and C-V2X 9150 software to build a C-V2X solution for bicycle and scooter riders
🚘 Volvo Brings In BlackBerry Veteran to Turn Its Cars Into iPhones on Wheels. “‘All the stuff that you can do in your smartphone will be almost inherently native within the vehicle,’ Volvo’s new CEO Jim Rowan says.”
✔ Intermap Files 2021 Annual Results.
Advertisement
Have you ever been reluctant to reveal your personal email address online or in person?
The answer is almost universally YES! So, if you happen to be one of those who thinks twice about these matters, ManyMe might be the answer to your worries.
Advertisement
Location Business News has gone from zero to nearly 24,000 subscribers in a little more than 12 months. If you would like to gain more exposure for your products, services, or webinars/events, contact us at info@driverlessreport.com. We also have nearly 41,000 LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media followers.
Location Industry Briefs
Send your news releases to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
TomTom Joins MIH Consortium
TomTom [TOM2] has joined the MIH Consortium, which is focused on the growth of electric vehicles, as the first and only global mapmaker and navigation supplier, the company said.
“Consumers expect cars to become smartphones on wheels, and fast,” said Antoine Saucier, TomTom Automotive managing director, in a statement. “By working more closely with fellow members of the MIH Consortium, including carmaker’s software houses, TomTom can play a key role in the development of game-changing user-friendly smart EVs that continuously evolve to satisfy drivers and passengers.”
Contact: TomTom, tomtom.pr@tomtom.com, www.tomtom.com.
Ultrack Acquires M-Loan
GPS tracking provider Ultrack Systems [MJLB] has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with California-based M-Loan Inc. to acquire the company. Under the MOU, Ultrack Systems would purchase 100 percent ownership of MLON, which has trucking industry experience.
Contact: Ultrack, info@ultrack.ca, www.ultrack.ca.
SYSTECH Offers Asset Tracker
Systems & Technology Corp. rolled out its CAREU-UA1 expandable asset tracker. The company, which is partnering with Kouei Group as its main logistics solution provider, also manufacturers its Automatic Vehicle Locating Tracker and white label and integration service.
CAREU UW1 is a compact 4G GPS tracking device that is water and dust resistant, the company said. The company’s Intelli FleetWeb fleet management platform is used by logistics, rental, transportation, manufacturing and personal vehicle fleets.
Contact: Peggy Lee, SYSTECH, 886-2-26981599, Peggy_lee@systech.com.tw, www.systech.com.tw.
CMT Expands Telematics Platform to Connected Vehicles
Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) has expanded its telematics platform, DriveWell, to connected vehicles. DriveWell gathers sensor data from millions of IoT devices, including smartphones, proprietary Tags, dashcams, third-party devices, the company said. DriveWell Auto provides connected vehicle data from more than 20 automakers in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Contact: Matt Fiorentino, CMT, mfiorentino@cmtelematics.com.
Parkopedia Partners With APCOA
Parkopedia has partnered with Europe parking operator APCOA PARKING Group to deliver automated digital parking payments. By leveraging ANPR technology at APCOA’s car park locations across 13 European countries, drivers will be able to enter and exit car parks without requiring a ticket, the company said.
The integration onto Parkopedia’s platform modernizes frictionless payments, and meets the demand for in-car commerce services, currently growing significantly across Europe, the company said. Parkopedia and APCOA previously collaborated as part of Mercedes-Benz’s Intelligent Park Pilot for the S-Class series of cars.
Contact: Adam Calland, Parkopedia, 44(0)7838219129, adam.calland@parkopedia.com, business.parkopedia.com.
Luokung Affiliate Buys Hongda Jiutong
Luokung Technology Corp. [LKCO] said its Beijing-based Zhong Chuan Shi Xun Technology affiliate has agreed to acquire Hongda Jiutong Technology Development Co. The Company expects to close the transaction by the end of the second quarter of 2022. Hongda Jiutong is a big data service provider for intelligent transportation and connected vehicles in China and owns 29 patented technologies and copyrights covering automatic generation of HD Map data, assisted driving and data analysis models of connected cars, the company said.
Contact: Jay Yu, Luokung, 86-10-6506-5217, ir@luokung.com.
GPS Fuel Monitoring Device Tracks Theft
China-based UniGuard has introduced a GPS fuel monitoring device that allows fleet operators to assess vehicle fuel costs, avoid fuel thefts and reduce fuel costs. With help of GPS tracking software, the fuel tracker device, and a fuel level sensor, it is possible to check the fuel amount used during travel, tank fuel, and fuel theft, the company said.
In addition to fuel usage fuel status monitoring, the system also monitors drivers’ behavior, including speedy acceleration, harsh braking, and over-speed driving, the company said.
Contact: Robin Huang, Uniguard Technology Limited, 8615012404563, www.uniguardgps.com.
Thundercomm Rolls Out SOM Products
Thundercomm has launched SOM (System On Module) products including TurboX C7230, C6490, CM4290/C4290, and T62. These new products expand Thundercomm’s SOM portfolio for smart camera, mobile terminals and 5G connectivity, the company said. The company also said the TurboX T55, has passed certification of several global carriers such as NTT DOCOMO/ KDDI/SKT/KT/LGU+. In addition, the integrated GNSS receiver can support GPS/GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and QZSS with dual L1 and L5 bands, the company said.
Contact: Nadia Gao, gaolh1022@thundersoft.com, www.thundercomm.com.
People
Pozyx has announced it has appointed Rick Graham as President of Pozyx North America. Graham brings more than 30 years of experience in business development, quality, lean manufacturing, business planning, and supply chain. Graham previously held senior management positions at Sunland Logistics, Faurecia, and BMW, most recently as Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Services with Thyssenkrupp.
Jobs
Business Development Manager. Swift Navigation.
Get your company’s products and services in the 2022 Location Industry Yearbook!
This goes so deep and will get ugly.