Suncorp launched an online quoting feature that pre-populated and publicly exposed whether homes had deadlocks, key-operated window locks, burglar alarms, and smoke detectors. Anyone entering an address could see the security profile of that property. Privacy advocates called it "a treasure trove for criminals." Suncorp suspended the feature only after public backlash.

Usage-based insurance creates economically coercive surveillance. Drivers who accept monitoring get discounts of up to 30%. Drivers who refuse monitoring pay full price. Over time, as more "good drivers" opt into surveillance and receive discounts, the remaining pool of non-monitored drivers is assumed to be higher-risk -- driving up their premiums. Refusing surveillance doesn't just mean missing a discount. It increasingly means paying a penalty for privacy. This creates a two-tier system: surveilled drivers pay less, private drivers pay more. The "choice" to opt out becomes more expensive every year as the monitored pool grows. Insurance companies are building a world where privacy has a price -- and that price increases until surveillance becomes the only affordable option. The discount is the first step. The penalty for opting out is the destination.

Root uses phone sensors — accelerometer, GPS, and gyroscope — to monitor driving behaviour during a test period, then sets insurance rates based on the data. Privacy researchers noted the app effectively turns your phone into a surveillance device that monitors speed, braking, cornering, phone usage while driving, time of day, and route patterns. Poor neighbourhoods and night-shift workers get penalised by algorithms that correlate driving times with risk.

The NRMA Insurance app runs in the background and automatically records trips when your smartphone detects motion that signifies a drive. It monitors GPS location, accelerometer data, speed, braking, cornering, and whether you touch your phone screen while in motion. Opting out requires not just toggling the app setting but also manually changing Location Services AND Physical Activity permissions in device settings.