Could an insurance company purchase your data from Facebook? Could an insurance company buy a map of every location that you’ve visited from Google?
Recent weeks have shown us that tech companies, while seeming to be unobtrusive, are not only more immersed in our lives that ever-before thought, but also able and willing to sell what they know about us to the highest bidder.
Did you know that if you use Google maps on your phone, they can track every location that you’ve visited with your phone in your pocket? Every doctor’s visit, trip to the grocery store, get-away weekend with your wife, conference with your children’s teacher. All of it. Log in for yourself and take a look, we’ll wait… https://www.google.com/maps/timeline?authuser=0&pb
Every law firm in the country tells their clients to be careful of what they post on Facebook while a case is pending. Don’t do anything that you couldn’t explain to a judge. That’s all well and good, but it’s possible that, before too long, insurers won’t just be taking a look at your social media accounts. It’s possible that they’ll be able to purchase data to prove or disprove facts relevant to your case. Where were you the day before the accident occurred? Where were you when you missed that doctor’s appointment?
There’s no real solution to this problem, and it may not present itself as one in the months to come. However, it would be shortsighted not to assume that an insurer will eventually take advantage of every opportunity available to build its defense. Bear in mind that the company lined up against you in a workers’ compensation or personal injury case has tremendous resources, a motive to find information that will hurt you, and no compunction about using every trick in the book.
