MrBlc, thank you for sharing your heartfelt thoughts regarding data privacy. I should mention, I am not affiliated with Zero and these thoughts are my own.
Let me start by acknowledging that I'm in agreement with you - there doesn't appear to be a way to opt-out of sharing analytical data with Zero or their affiliates from the setup screen of the app. After exploring the NextGen app and reading the privacy policy, it appears that Zero has more of a forced opt-in and manual opt-out framework - rather than an optional opt-in framework as you'd prefer.
I was able to attend the SR/F unveiling at San Jose BMW last month and picked up some useful information that I think you'd find useful. Sean McLaughlin (Engineering Program Manager) from Zero Motorcycles shared the comments below.
I want to emphasize to everybody here that while we're talking about some of these details of all these really cool features that are available to you [made possible by the cellular connection], they're available to you at your discretion. There's absolutely nothing stopping you from turning the bike on, putting the side stand up, putting it in the run position, just like pretty much any other motorcycle you know, and just going for a ride. So, the technology is there for you on your terms. It's not there to get in your way or to distract you. It's there to enhance your overall riding experience both while you're on the bike and while you're off the bike.
...All of these connectivity features that rely on the cellular connection, Zero is covering the costs for the first two years with a promotion and we are in discussion with Starcom for what the detail of those contracts look like for the customer in the long-term and we are making our best effort to keep the monthly cost as low as possible. But the first two years are on us. If you like how it works for you, you can keep going if you want the same thing. You are not obligated to renew.
Three takeaways:
- SR/F is fully functional without cellular connectivity
- Cellular connectivity is free for the first two years
- No obligation to renew after 2-year promotion expires
CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY FEATURESBelow is a list of the connectivity features, that were referenced by Sean at the unveiling, available because of the cellular connectivity which is provided by Starcom Systems Ltd. This list can be found at
https://www.starcomsystems.com/2019/03/28/the-first-smart-connected-motorcycle-effortless-connection/.
Bike Status and Alerts: Charge interruptions, tip-over or unexpected motion notifications, and the “Find my Bike†function, which allows riders to keep tabs on the motorcycle at all times.
Charging: Remotely setting charging parameters, including Targeted Charge Levels, notification of State of Charge (SoC), Charge Time Scheduling and Charge Tracking. These notifications allow riders to control all aspects of charging and to monitor charge status even when away from the motorcycle.
Ride Data Sharing: Riders can gather, relive and share extensive data about their ride through the app. Through ride data recording, riders can replay each ride and also choose to upload additional content to record and share their full experience. Riders also have the option to keep such data anonymous.
System Upgrades and Updates: Remote downloading of the latest updates to ensure optimal performance and provide access to feature improvements.
PRIVACY DETAILSIt is noted in Zero's privacy policy (
https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/legal/privacy-policy.php), which is embedded on the EULA screen of the NextGen App, that you can opt-out of sharing app data and in some cases you must opt-to intentionally share data. I've extracted parts of the privacy policy below and underlined a few relevant details.
ZERO MOTORCYCLES APP DATA
The Zero Motorcycles App
gives you the ability to email diagnostic information to the Zero Motorcycles Customer Service Team. This will include information identifying the motorcycle such as VIN, the motorcycle’s settings (such as model, sprocket sizes) and information from your motorcycle’s event and error logs, which includes times and dates of rides along with the motorcycle performance data during these rides: speeds, temperatures and charging events. Statistical data about your ride and usage of the app, including but not limited to distance travelled, average speed and energy consumption may also be submitted.
If you choose to email the bike log information to Zero Motorcycles, it will be associated with your motorcycle and its ownership information. This information is immediately shared with the dealer that originally sold the motorcycle and Zero Motorcycles personnel.
We use this information to resolve issues with your motorcycle and to improve product quality. We retain this information through data processor Salesforce for the period necessary to fulfill processing purposes as described below.
Processing this information is necessary for the performance of our (service) contract, compliance with legal obligations (i.e. to warrant driving safety) and for our legitimate interest to provide our services to you, and to continuously improve our products.The Zero Motorcycles App includes technology from
Flurry Analytics which provides us with information about usage patterns and helps us determine the best areas for improvement. Flurry also records the types of devices and operating systems used, general geographic information, as well as events that occur within the Zero App, such as how often it is used and other anonymous data.
We use this data to determine which mobile devices and languages we should support. Flurry Analytics data will be retained for the period necessary to fulfill processing purposes as described below. For more information about Flurry, its privacy policy and
how to opt out of this service, please go to
www.flurry.com/user-opt-out.html.
MOTORCYCLE OWNERSHIP INFORMATION
When you purchase a new Zero Motorcycles motorcycle from a dealer or a distributor, we require them to submit your contact information so we can confirm the start of the warranty period and so that we can send you pertinent service updates should the need arise. In addition, as Zero Motorcycles announces new accessories or other products that might be used with your motorcycle, we will use this information to keep you updated. This information is stored at our data processor Salesforce.
Ownership history of our motorcycles is kept for the period necessary to fulfill processing purposes as described below. We may contact prior owners should the need arise. For example, while the current owner is supposed to contact us to transfer ownership via our website, we regularly are contacted by the new owner. Should we discover a motorcycle was stolen, we have the ability to contact the previously registered owner.
Processing this information is necessary for the performance of our (service) contract, compliance with legal obligation (i.e. to warrant driving safety) and for our legitimate interest to provide our services to you, and to continuously improve our products.HOW TO OPT-OUTReviewing or removing personal information
Under certain circumstances, you have the legal right to:
(i) request access to your personal data; (ii) request the rectification of your personal data; (iii) request the erasure of your personal data; (iv) request the restriction of processing of your personal data; (v) object to the processing of your personal data where Zero Motorcycles relies on a legitimate interest; (vi) withdraw your consent to specific processing for which consent has previously been provided, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal; and (vii) request the transfer of your personal data to a third party.You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal information (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if any request made by you is clearly unfounded or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances.
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access the information (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is another appropriate security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. All requests will be executed in accordance with the law, subject to legally available exceptions, within four weeks.
If you want to exercise any of the above rights, please contact us by using the contact details below.BY EMAIL:
privacy@zeromotorcycles.com
BY MAIL:
North America:
380 El Pueblo Road
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
USA
BY PHONE:
North America:
(888) 786-9376
BUT REMEMBER...WHEN YOU DON’T PROVIDE INFORMATION
If you fail to provide certain information when requested,
we may not be able to perform the contract we have entered into with you, or we may be prevented from complying with our legal obligations. We will notify you (of the possible consequences) when you do not provide us with the requested information necessary to perform the contracts we have entered into with you.
SUMMARY- You can enjoy effortless power and effortless control without effortless connection.
- The app only submits bike information if you email the logs - based on my interpretation of the privacy policy.
- You can opt-out of app analytics by visiting https://developer.yahoo.com/flurry/end-user-opt-out.html (which was bought by Verizon so it's a bit confusing right now). There is a "Don't Send" option when asked to Help Improve Your Zero Motorcycle Experience during the app setup process which may be connected to this analytical data - I'm not certain.
- You can request the erasure of your personal data; request the restriction of processing of your personal data; object to the processing of your personal data where Zero Motorcycles relies on a legitimate interest; withdraw your consent to specific processing for which consent has previously been provided, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal by effortlessly emailing privacy@zeromotorcycles.com or calling (888) 786-9376.
Please note: I'm not a lawyer, this is not legal advice and this is not an exhaustive list of details.
It appears that you must opt-in to open the app, but you can choose to opt-out long before you ever order or receive your SR/F. However, you'll have to exercise your aforementioned rights...
Hope this helps,
Ryan
Author
Topic: Zero Motorcycles NextGen Mobile App for SR/F now available (Read 1695 times)