TomTom's CEO Harold Goddijn on Data Privacy

[JetRanger0007]

Well, you'd better Sure as Hell get better Servers for your damn web site, after I just Spent 3 damn hours downloading updates for my TOMTOM GPS Device, get better Servers damn it !

[ashhel5]

@chwisch87

That's a different matter entirely. I completely agree with you there, but I think that TomTom should be penalized on what it DID. Selling it directly to the police is something they didn't do.

[ersi89]

"Our devices"? It's the costumers device! Not TomTom's!

[PSEUD01234]

@ersi89 People buy advanced devices to be routed around congestion. It transmits your location anonymously to other drivers, so they can avoid traffic too. No data sharing = being stuck in traffic. If you don't like your location being tracked, you can also buy a cheaper TomTom GPS without these live services. It doesn't follow you, but also doesn't give you traffic information. Fair enough, isn't it?

[ersi89]

@PSEUD01234 So?! The device (ie. HARDWARE) in question is the COSTUMERS. Not the COMPANYS.

My comment was about the CEO referring to the costumers bought device as 'Tomtoms' ("our device")

But in hindsight - I guess one could say it like that - since they developed the device in question.

[PSEUD01234]

People put their whole life on Facebook & Twitter. But when their cellphone or GPS system is ANONYMOUSLY tracked, encrypted and aggregated to get valuable information to avoid congestion, they start to cry. Poor fearmongering journalisme started this whole story. Do you honestly think you're that important that TomTom or Apple are interested in your personal life? I think not. It's behaviour they're after, not you as a person.

[NeoOmega7]

@PSEUD01234 Ignorance is bliss. Wait till you find out that law enforcement has used that information to follow and harass you, due to your reporting of information that you have reported, collected, and complaind about. Then when you find law enforcement following, tailing, arriving at locations every time you do, to counter bust you on things, you figure out what is going on. We have gone through this in a small town, don't think that this info can't be turned on you!

[upLIF]

did anyone really think putting a GPS in your car was for your benefit and not "the systems"? good luck

[ashhel5]

@upLIF

Yeah. It's kind of what the free market is built on.

[TimeForTimer]

A TomTom will be a NotNot purchase in my future.

[PSEUD01234]

"We genuinely believe that TomTom has a role to play in helping to reduce congestion in countries all over the world. But of course we can't do it alone. TomTom is but one organisation in a large ecosystem of governments, institutions, businesses and individuals. We hope that by working together we will create better solutions, faster." bit.ly / jjXuyb

[ashhel5]

@AUSM92

You're avoiding the question. Regardless of whether it is a physical or virtual search, is TomTom to blame for the Californian Police's newly-made power to search your phone? No! Blame your government.

And besides, I can't imagine the devices STORING the data (much more likely that they send the data off and then delete), but I am not a developer so can't really answer that.

[wellwellwellall]

@AUSM92 if julia gillard fabian labor party. no to free market since 1913. love of eugenics. false interpretation of the golden mean. liar to billions around the world (UN) comijng to a western country and the rest of the world near you if WE DO NOT PUT A STOP TO THIS NOW. they know if they do not stop and reverse what they have done DNA and the human race is fucked. there is no global warming. they are fucking with frequencies which destroys nature and humans

[BILLYBANTER69]

Suicide of company by dick head management

[ashhel5]

@AUSM92

Is the phone company liable for the police's intrusion on their network if they didn't give direct access?

[ozzycriss]

In my day we used to drive round and round in circles , we never got anywhere . We used to hang string out the window so we could follow the trail to make it back home .

[stb1951]

Shall never buy any TOM TOM product again, will advise every one I know that any TOM TOM product CANNOT be trusted. What was management thinking? PR disaster of first degree!

[ashhel5]

@AUSM92

You have a point. HOWEVER, unlike PSN, there is no registration process required with a TomTom device. You don't need to enter your credit-card details, you don't need to enter your name (I'm not even sure you can!). It is physically impossible to be tracked personally, because there's nothing to track.

[ads861]

Sygic for the win!

[WiseGuy02]

You suck TomTom. selling info to the government. How will you prevent info being used to place speed cameras? You need to explain that, and you say you'll prevent it in the future. What does that mean? From now? Or a year down the track? I just bought my mum a TomTom for Mothers Day, but I think I'll be taking it back and buying a Garmin.

[wellwellwellall]

@WiseGuy02 theya re all in on it. its a worldwide policy.., WAKE UP

[WiseGuy02]

@wellwellwellall Garmin do track you, but don't sell the information. Check your facts.

[ashhel5]

@WiseGuy02

Selling information to help congestion and make sure you have a faster ride is a bad thing?

TomTom sold it to the government to help with construction. The GOVERNMENT sold it to the police.

[wellwellwellall]

get fucked with the lower vibration you cunt. golden mean will win...democracy will win... by the way every new car has a tracking divice too. spread that. fuck you commie fucking bastards. you got rid of democracy back in 1913. better try and save dna? better go back to democracy

[MaleAdaptor]

So if I understand this correctly, they read the data off your device when you update.

If so, can some one with patience look at the firmware of their tomtom and see how we can feed them back either blank files or total bullshit.

[MarijnStevens]

They allready did this, scumbas assholes. Boyscot please

[MarijnStevens]

@MarijnStevens every tomtom has a serial number, and you register for updates, so of course they cant link YOU ....

Unless you dont use there updates, your fucked. I dont even drive fast, but TomTom doesnt need to sell that information to the cops just because they want to buy some nice suits

[PSEUD01234]

@MarijnStevens Not true. They upload the data to a server that aggregates the data. The server then brings back anonymous information about average speed per road. So drivers get the fastest route per time of day. No one, not even tomtom, can link this back to an individual user. They created this technology with taking in account advice from organisations of privacy protection. What you're saying is harmful for a company with the good cause of using our road network better.

[PSEUD01234]

@1984in2010 Can you explain further. Is it customer data or tomtoms data when they measure average speed? And can they sell it anonimized offcourse? And if they can, can they choose to sell it only for specific purposes? So they can say: it's ok if it's to better understand congestion, but not if it's to set up speedtraps.

[PSEUD01234]

Ok, so how does average speed measured by a TomTom differ from other traffic management technology, like a detection loop in the road, measuring the speed on the road. Or cameras measuring average speed. Are these YOUR data, just because you drive there? As long as they can't know who I am, so I can't get a fine, it's ok with mee. I more or less figured that they didn't sell to police directly either. So what's the fuss? People with 1984 in their username are just being overconcerned.

[ashhel5]

@1984in2010

Then it's the people's fault. If you didn't read the fine print, don't blame the company for your carelessness. And, as I recall, you CAN turn data collection off, but, I don't own a TomTom, so I can't be sure of that.

[wellwellwellall]

@ashhel5 its not the peoples fault. its your fault for doing nothing

[ashhel5]

@wellwellwellall

Why do people insist that I work with TomTom? :P I don't even own one!

As an aside, it IS the people's fault if they didn't read the fine print. You can't blame someone else for your carelessness. And what do you mean TomTom is doing nothing? If you actually watch the video, you see them saying that they're going to fix it...

[tj23623]

I understand that the collection of data for advancing GPS technology, travel times, and route optimization is VERY valuable, but what is much more valuable is the trust of your customers, which you lost, plain and simply, by being greedy, and playing both sides of the fence. All TomTom devices have already been replaced in my home, and the terrible iphone app has been deleted. Now please, take a hike.

[AllWeNeedIsAHero]

@1984in2010 thats because they don,t care about their

customer , customers come and go but Data can be resold forever .

[ashhel5]

@AllWeNeedIsAHero

Not by the same person.... They only make money off the original sale to the government. They made no money off the sale to the police.

[smileman66]

I'm okay with this.

[ashhel5]

@1984in2010

TomTom should have seen this, I'm not contesting that.

I'm simply annoyed with the people who completely spas out and punish TomTom beyond the necessary amount, for what is ultimately not their direct fault. Reactions such as the ones seen here belong with a company that keeps on selling that information, not with one that's attempting to fix the problem.

I'm also annoyed with the people that say TomTom=INGSOC. TomTom didn't intend for the speedtraps to be set up.

[ashhel5]

@1984in2010

And what's the difference when ultimately, the point of the video is to say "We will fix this"?

[cdw100]

I almost bought a tom tom, no way johnson, never now. Go get stuffed.

[Zildjian285]

This is low. Thank goodness I never bought a TomTom product, they clearly don't care about their customers.

[ashhel5]

@1984in2010

First of all, I'm not affiliated with TomTom.

Second, the contract for the sales probably (and this is just a guess, considering TomTom isn't stupid) included a point where the government isn't allowed to sell the data again, but, seeing as the government is and always has been money hungry, sold it disregarding the contract. But that's just speculation on my part.

[Privatedoe]

You people are so lame, keep on speeding and wasting fuel, then complain when you get a ticket and gas price go up!

[ElevenDestinys]

Well, I guess I won't be buying a TomTom. Nice work Harold. Nice work.

[e4300]

Me thinks Tom Tom just hanged themselves.

[okaki]

sorry @scoundrel77, it's hard to believe you're not working for TomTom. You've been doing good job on their behalf tho'. Unless your'e a troll, you're not doing a very good job on hiding your identity :)

[ashhel5]

@chwisch87

True! Except they didn't. They sold it to the government to help with construction/congestion and THEY sold it to the police ;) TomTom didn't have any control over it

[synthem3sc]

So I can turn off data collection, cool. Can I turn off the feature where you sell me out specifically to screw me over?

[ashhel5]

@synthem3sc

No, but you can turn ON the feature where you realize TomTom didn't sell it to the police. They sold it to the government to assist with construction and congestion, and THEY sold it to the police.

[lvglaser]

I have 2 tom toms guess my next one for the motorcycle will be a garman. I don't like using anything that gives police a way to catch me speeding or even what roads I speed on.

[madwell76]

bye bye tom tom

[disponded]

My TomTom is also my last as they are too bloody expensive to keep up to date. Take that and shove off Harold Goddijn.

Thank you..

[okaki]

@scoundrel77: and why are TomTom making money out of the 'user-collected data' (if you don't like calling it 'customer data') without getting approval of the people who agreed to have their data collected. Whether the data is used to improve traffic or to track speedster, that's a different discussion. It's the sharing/selling of the data to another institution(s) that I disagree.

[ashhel5]

@okaki

By definition, if you agree to have your data collected, you agree to surrender control of it. In fact, if you looked you could probably find an article saying that you surrender control of your data in whatever version there is of a contract/agreement.

[wellwellwellall]

@ashhel5 You must love a police state then

[okaki]

SELLING the data is ALREADY a breach of law. I'm sure a class action lawsuit will (should) follow. Normally in the agreement the party says 'your data will not be shared with any other institutions'. Lawyers get ready for big cash!

[thezerocool22]

I'm not sure anybody listened to this video properly, your all jesting that you will get a ticket for speeding when that is quite obviously not the issue. Muppets

[SmartNyc]

@scoundrel77 yes fastest route with a ticket in the mail..ariving in weeks to come

[SmartNyc]

i would love to dump all tom tom in the dustbin. - u paying tomtom to pay again to the police.. shame shame shame

[nogablg]

@scoundrel77 I would prefer to stay in a traffic jam rather than dealing with a company that sells my personal data to a third party and using it against me. And honestly I don't see myself spending time on roads more than some of my collegues using tomtom.

[lavolvo]

Motherfuckers.

[ashhel5]

@EmptyMellon

Isn't admitting that they are wrong what they're doing via this video?

[nogablg]

There will be no tomtom navigator in my car. You've sold your reputation to the Dutch police.

[ArreatPLvro]

And yet most of you would buy android / iOS based device.

[Jote]

Have the customers been reading the "terms and conditions"? Tableau.

[sebibence02]

We pay you and buy your fucking service and you use it against us. Thank you for your cooperation.

[carbiify]

TomTom say they will prevent this type of usage in the future, But what's TomTom's word worth nowadays? How do we know this for sure? They can't be trusted, And their customer service is a joke. TomTom's cards are marked. They will soon go out of business or be taken over.

[SmartNyc]

@carbiify they just killed the goose that laid the golden eggs. shame

[tanoeda]

R.I.P TomTom

[SAVAGEcorpsman]

Thanks for stabbing your loyal customers in the back. I can vouch that all my car friend are extremely upset over this dilemma. I can also assure that your products are no longer wanted in San Diego.

[DocePares11]

Are you for real? He shot himself in the foot by sharing anonymous traffic data with the government, to help improve the roads and reduce traffic congestion? Oh no! Big news!

If you read further than the sensational headlines, you would know they did not sell the data directly to the Police: some external bureau did, after receiving it from the government.

And yes people need to give permission before the data is being collected....sorry but you really sound misinformed.

[screamingservers]

They can scrub data that is outside of legal limits.

[Porthbot]

You sell paying customer's information. Take your half-assed apology and piss off.

[Nettikadlez]

@Porthbot As long as the information is anonymous it should not matter.

[calebmosher]

This doesn't make me angry at TomTom at all, just at the police. This is overstepping boundaries in my opinion on their part. TomTom is just as innocent as we are in this case, don't blame them for this. It is the fault of the police.

[Gisae]

[part 2]

I bet other companies sell the same type of information that tomtom does, only now tomtom gets the blame.

Too bad 99% of the people don't see the bigger picture and just blabber about 'tomtom bad this, tomtom bad that'.

I think tomtom is a great company with a great business model. They see the bigger picture; where can they add value. Tomtom does this by offering an extended service, and somtimes this has side-effects, like in this case use of data by the police.

[Gisae]

[part 1]

This is a perfect example of how media can 'destroy' the reputation of a single company. Tomtom provides the information in the first place to improve our infrastructure, their customers take advantage of that, and so does the company.

They could have anticipated that the (crooked) police would use this information to determine where they can generate the most profit, since the dutch police, or at least the traffic part of it is only out for financial profit.

[MrDeitschland]

I will never in my life buy TOMTOM ! They should sell their crap to Stasi and Gestapo!

[emprorali]

@MrDeitschland are you fucking serious, wtf is wrong you oyu fucking internet troll noob with no life, its people like you who believe everyone else opinion and just spurt it out with more zeal, talking about world war two, you know thats pretty much how it started. go get a life media whore

[MrDeitschland]

@emprorali and where do you get your information and opinion from??? u stupid fucking asshole! Because of people like you, SHITHEAD, we will soon live in an Orwellian world!

[emprorali]

@MrDeitschland you obviously dont know anything about the subject, stop believing all this bullshit in the media about technology taking over the world, seriously its bad for you. i happed to be reading 1984 at the moment and this obviously has nothing to do with it. all the data is anonymous and is just used to get you to where oyu want to be faster! i dont see the big deal. do oyu use facebook? cos if oyu do your just hypocritical. from facebook anyone can see all your details

[MrDeitschland]

@emprorali i appreciate your different manners of communication. i know very well, that transparent personal data combined with manipulating media is already used to keep the people in check. and this is happening ever since. new technologies will of course help a lot to get even more control over our lives in every aspect. i know exactly from my profession that most supposedly private data is actually public to misusage. btw: of course i will never join networks like facebook.

[SeanOMatic]

@emprorali

Yeah, Facebook tracks where you drive, when you do it and where you go, everyday, without your consent? No, it doesn't. I believe this is the issue here. If you don't believe the government is slowly, consistently putting more controls over you, their plan is working. Stupid people don't notice things slowly changing around them.

[MrDeitschland]

@SeanOMatic I 100% agree with you. immediate dramatic changes in society cause revolution, slow dramatic changes cause acceptance. that's what we face nowadays. we get robbed by greedy banksters and politicians everyday, we get crap food and junk medicine, we are forced to work more and more for less revenue every day under growing slave-like conditions... and nobody cares. that's how far we've already gotten in this silent process...

[SeanOMatic]

@MrDeitschland

I think realistically, a lot of people need to step back and live more frugal lives for the Earth to survive. The elite that control as are planet-destroying profiteers hell bent on continuing to push oil, big banks and slowly leading us away from Capitalism towards Socialism. How people can not be upset that the data on where they'll be was sold to police so that they can set up speed traps is beyond me.

[ashhel5]

@MrDeitschland

I think comparing TomTom to 1984 is a BIT of a stretch :P What he was trying to say is that just because the media says something, it's not necessarily true.

The facts of the matter are:

- TomTom did not directly sell the information to the police. They sent it to the government, to assist in construction/congestion, and THEY sold it to the police. It was literally out of TT's control.

- The data is anonymous. The Gestapo would need to be able to link products to individuals.

[MrDeitschland]

@ashhel5 ...thanks for throwing light on the "facts". i really could imagine tomtom had no clue about what was to happen later, but personal data/statistics, even if anonymized, should always be treated with utmost cautiousness. at least this is the lesson we've learned here. and since it's obvious nowadays that governments are not really on our side, we should be twice as suspicious, right?

[ashhel5]

@MrDeitschland

To be honest, I can't imagine TomTom would be smart enough to predict the police using the information, and yet be ignorant enough to miss the public outrage at that fact. So yes, I do think they had no clue this would happen.

As for caution with the data, this is what TomTom is now attempting. They're fixing their previous mistake and being more cautious. You're attacking a company for trying to fix their mistake...

[SeanOMatic]

@emprorali

I want you to write a report on how you drive to work, including turn by turn directions and any areas that you speed in and send it to me tonight. Thank you.

[Seamaster73]

My current Tomtom will be my last. And I've been a pretty loyal customer going right back to the Palmtop BV days.

[emprorali]

@Seamaster73 sorry, clicked the wrong button,m didnt mean to vote up. why on earth would this change your opinion of the company, thet are just trying to make better products and that requires handling data. they did not directly sell the data to the police. and what does it honestly matter, its all anonymous and what difference does it make, they are just providing a better service, listen to gisae

[archon808]

Since they sell user data, I will never buy a TomTom product.

[xrding]

Look, you would rather a company being honest and open about selling data than doing that anyway at your back...

[Tr1ple]

very nice publicity having a tram in the background :)) (or as we say straßenbahn)

xD

[JapieK81]

Hello crybabies, welcome to the 21th century, where we're gonna solve about every problem we have with new technologies. yes we will.

Analyzing traffic is part of moving to a complete solution of people's mobility. the man says he will now pay better attention, so why don't you stop your conspiracies and start solving problems.

[uNaMmusic]

Chuck Norris will roundhousekick you for what you have done!

[AllWeNeedIsAHero]

@scoundrel77 route you around congestion ? is what people paid them for !!!!! not to have their habits tracked traced and data based to sell to anyone and everyone for anything . Particularly when its used to build control grids for corporate revenue collectors you cop sucking lapdog chicken neck moron .

[egokick]

"we will prevent that type of usage of our data in the future"

So how are you going to do that if you keep working with governments in the other areas you mentioned and providing them information?

He's saying everything I want to hear after I found out what the Dutch police are using this information for, everything but exactly how they are going to prevent the same thing from happening again.

[FireAddictBurn]

People don't agree to you collecting data to increase your bottom line, they allow it to get a better service. Its also quite gratifying knowing that you didn't pass on any savings to us while you were making money off our data. I'm sure if the cheap plastic your products are made with had gone up in price you would of just passed that on to consumers. I wont be using my tomtom again. Thats 30,000 miles/year less data for you.

[emprorali]

@FireAddictBurn you a noob, does it or does it not create a better service? my belief is that it does, and is not targeted at increasing the bottom line. Tomtom is a camponay, and does what it does to increase revenue and profit, as any company does, but not at the expense of product quality. just because they are making a bit of money out of it doesnt mean you should stop using the product, thats what drives the economy, pun not intended.

[FireAddictBurn]

@emprorali calling me a noob has no context or basis here. Selling data to the government does not create a better tomtom service, it lines the shareholders pockets. Go back to watching beginner gamemaker pro tutorials, basic java and playing wow for free videos.

[emprorali]

@FireAddictBurn I happen to know Harold Goddijn personally, and I can tell you that the reason data is being sold to the government is not solely to increase profit. As he said, this data can help improve road networks and cause less traffic in the future, not only for tomtom users but for all road users. in doing so travel time decreases allowing for increased productivity, and more sleep in the mornings. wouldnt you like to sleep a little later every morning? i know i would.

[AllWeNeedIsAHero]

@emprorali you happen to know him personally ?? so your on you tube doing damage control for a person you known personally is what you meant to say right , right :O) if TomTom said they were going to sell the info to police aka the revenue collectors for the corporations do you really think anyone would opt in . it was a lantern lie to trick people that got them to opt in and now its resold over and over to who ever wants to pay for it .

[emprorali]

@FireAddictBurn Continuing, you also did not contradict my point that the point of buisnesses is to make money! If there is a way of making money, use it! and also, as i mentioned, making this money does not affect product quality, and so there is no reason for you to be angry just because your data is being used. Do you honestly want to be paid for using a satnav in your car and saving time and fuel?

[ashhel5]

@FireAddictBurn

That is true. However, does it matter what TomTom uses it for, as long as both results are achieved? Yes, TomTom was using that data for more than the means suggested, but ultimately that data was ALSO used to improve their service.

The priority for the data collection is to improve the service, but once they have that data, who cares if some constructors get some basic statistics? Your service is improved, why do you care what happens to the data afterwards? (see next post..)

[ashhel5]

@FireAddictBurn

The data is completely anonymous, and it is ultimately a company's job to maximize profit. No one is harmed in the process of doing so, and as Mr. Goddijn mentioned, they will be working to stop the police using their data for unintended measures.

Besides, the data collecting process (as I understood from the video, correct me if I'm wrong) is voluntary. You don't have to give that data. If you don't like them using it, refuse.

[Tomtomforum]

Harold wil de koers niet omhoog hebben.

Hij laat de aandeelhouders stikken, terwijl zonder de aandeelhouders hij allang failliet zou zijn.

Schandalig dus, hij moet zich schamen!

[AllWeNeedIsAHero]

Tomtom tell you its good and then use it to enslave you , the company should not be selling the info . The company said they collect the data to make the service better and sells it to govt to control you . This is outrageous !!

[ashhel5]

@AllWeNeedIsAHero

1) Enslavement.... What? How is it enslavement at all? They use the data to navigate you around traffic jams, way to criticize a company for doing something it's meant to! Even then, it's not enslavement, as you have a choice....

2) TomTom DOES use the data to make the service better. It's not as if TomTom is lying about that. However, they use the data in two ways, like a smart company.

3) Control? Also called the law. Go complain about murder then....

[AllWeNeedIsAHero]

@ashhel5 oh look its Tomtoms official apologist , hey data can be sold endlessly . People let tom-tom have the data because they were misled into thinking it was to make the device better not to sell !!! TomTom always intended to sell peoples info the device was just to drag them in n collect the data right .This was always about selling personal info , its a hugh money making venture . I can see your a paid shill account !

[Tomtomforum]

Namens het HarryA forum...........Harold Goddijn, waar ben je mee bezig.........dit is goed, nu kom je in actie, maar man oh man, waarom kraak je je eigen bedrijf af, waarom doe je dit?

Gaat het dan dus echt in de verkoop?

Verkoop het dan maar snel!

Zeg eens dat je met mensen om de tafel zit, dan gaat die koers tenminste een keertje omhoog, de beleggers zijn het nu echt zat!

[Tomtomforum]

Zullen mensen het gaan snappen nu?

Of blijven ze dom en denken ze dat Tomtom iets stoms doet?

Zo kun je ook je mobiele telefoon wel weg doen, als je bang bent voor je privacy.....of je pinpas, enz enz

[robertweb]

Keep up the good work TomTom! Thanks to HD Traffic and IQ Route I save a lot of valuable time.