Ask HN: Is OBD-II telematics data more private than mobile app tracking?
insuranceguru Wednesday, January 21, 2026I've been digging into the privacy policies of major auto insurers who offer UBI (Usage-Based Insurance). There seems to be a consensus that mobile apps are 'easier,' but they require broad OS-level permissions (Location, Motion) that can technically track you 24/7.
In contrast, the OBD-II dongles are hardware-limited to the vehicle's operation. They know how the car is driven, but not necessarily where you walked after you parked.
Is there a technical reason to prefer one over the other from a data security perspective? I wrote up a comparison of the hardware trade-offs here: https://suretyinsights.com/blog/dongle-vs-app-the-hardware-of-usage-based-insurance I'm curious if anyone has reverse-engineered the actual data packets these dongles send.