On newer vehicles and 'phoning home'

[ATCclears]

Need to go back to the 76 F-150...

One company wants to sell the feds location data from every car on Earth

Federal agencies already buy tons of user data; one vendor is now being sued.

arstechnica.com

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[Alexx1401]

Sadly its just the world we live in now. It's far from just the vehicles that "track us". To me? Really could care less. At times it is a little scary though. Like when I filed my taxes this year. Did it on line. I no longer "needed" my W2. I put in my info and a copy of my W2 pops up on the screen. The program just asked me to verify this was me and correct. So who knows where all that info is going. To live like it was 30 years ago people would have to do with no banking, no phones, no internet of course and such.
So my phone and one of my vehicles certainly "track" where I go. There is over 300 million people here, who knows how many vehicles that now have the info along with how many damn phones? I just have better things to worry about. Like just how bad it will get with rights being stripped away as people vote for more of it.

 

[The Heretic]

Neither of my trucks has GPS or cellular, etc.

The '97 Dodge has a Cummins diesel and with a few tweaks (replace the relay/timer with a switch for the grid heater, the relay for the fuel shutoff with a manual cable) will be relatively immune to EMP/etc.

I plan to put a diesel into the Toyota too.

The BMW - my daily driver - has all the electronic bells and whistles, but I am not too worried about the gov knowing about my twice monthly grocery trips. They already know those from other data sources (debit card transactions).

 

[ATCclears]

We may laugh at the Chinese's Social Credit system, but we are on the same slippery path...

 

[BrentN]

Didn't Google recently announce a planned investment of BILLIONS of dollars for more data centers? Although I do realize that these announcements are to get political tax-break reach-arounds, I have little doubt they will build them. Everything about everyone will be a data point.

 

[Alexx1401]

Didn't Google recently announce a planned investment of BILLIONS of dollars for more data centers? Although I do realize that these announcements are to get political tax-break reach-arounds, I have little doubt they will build them. Everything about everyone will be a data point.

If it makes money, people will exploit it for money. All those apps on phones all make money this way. While ago Wife told me she was "shocked" to find her shopping history was all there for years back from one of the stores that have those "cards" to give you stuff on sale. I told her this is the entire reason for the things from the beginning. Gives them data they can sell. I personally do not care but many still seem shocked and worried when they find out how this works. I hear some of the appliances for the home are now "ready to be online" for this same reason. Will sell data. The reason Google boys started giving away their OS was because they figured they could make money off the Data. If they would give me a free Fridge I would not care if it sold the info on what I ate

 

[ATCclears]

The ZeroHedge website is 'out there' at times, but I think there are some truths in this article relative to one's digital trails. Again, I think about China's Social Credit System evolving here.

...and a quote from a wise friend:

Reading the news today is like reading Pravda or Isvestia in the 1950's. We used to laugh at the absurdities, and the Russian people learned how to read between the lines as we do now.
- Bronston Kenney, December 2015

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

 

[Member 34319]

Ever wonder how any traffic management system works? (Think Google, Apple, local news)

Here is a hint... They don't track cars!

They track cell phones.

My home came with two WiFi extenders preinstalled with the guise to assist in getting WiFi in parts of the home where the main router can't reach, translation, now they can triangulate any device within my own home.

Sorry, not sorry.

If you are surprised by any of this, I suppose you have been actually living under a rock.

 

[albin25]

When they come for your self-defense products, they'll probably know exactly where to look for them....
.... so, you may want to plan accordingly.


That's what I'd tell my friends, if I had any that actually owned a gun...or, if I owned any myself.

 

[bigbearbear]

I simply accept the fact that modern products are connected and can report telemetry back to whoever is interested, and not always the government. My new SUV is packed so full of sensors, cameras, microchips and antenna that it is basically a rolling computer first and a car second.

The upside to this many tech is that it makes driving very easy and comfortable, I've come to love the high definition 360 degrees camera when parking this SUV into parking lots here in WA, which tends to be smaller than those you typically find in CA. Almost like playing a video game.

 

[The Heretic]

I simply accept the fact that modern products are connected and can report telemetry back to whoever is interested, and not always the government. My new SUV is packed so full of sensors, cameras, microchips and antenna that it is basically a rolling computer first and a car second.

The upside to this many tech is that it makes driving very easy and comfortable, I've come to love the high definition 360 degrees camera when parking this SUV into parking lots here in WA, which tends to be smaller than those you typically find in CA. Almost like playing a video game.

Yeah, if I have to go incommunicado I won't be driving my Bimmer and I won't be taking my cell phone with me (or I will at least remove its battery and/or SIM).

 

[Deerhurst]

Yeah, if I have to go incommunicado I won't be driving my Bimmer and I won't be taking my cell phone with me (or I will at least remove its battery and/or SIM).

It'll still talk out without a SIM. The sim only does the handshake to identify your device and allow only what you are paying for to be used. My college used to track cell phones pretty easy. They used to tell me to slow down on the highway when I'd call them for info on my way back down to school. That's just the little guys with a 4-6 man security team. Think of what the big players can do.

 

[Tinman357]

Somebody must know how to disable all that tracking crap.

 

[Provincial]

Amazon sells Faraday bags for cell phones that block the signal. Only pull it out when you want to be located.

 

[made in china]

This tech has been in cars for a while, famously beginning with OnStar. It is known as "telematics".

If your car is older and has telematics in it, it may be on 2G, which recently was disabled nationwide and means your car can no longer connect.

Newer cars built in the 20teens and up may have a 4G telematics module in it.

It is used for OnStar, Toyota Care, etc. Whatever brand you have. We have a 2020 Corolla, and that car can update itself, call Toyota customer care, dial 911, etc.
Just so everyone is clear, you own the vehicle and you have the right to disable telematics if you wish. Most vehicles you can disable telematics with no ill effect.
I disabled telematics in my 2016 GTI and will likely disable it in my wife's 2020 Corolla.
You are not bound by law to have it functioning. Some cars really don't even need it (a Corolla, come on man!)
Check the enthusiast forum of your vehicle for instructions on how to disable the telematics, should you be so inclined. On my GTI, the telematics module was behind the instrument cluster, in the Corolla it is behind the stereo. Both are easy to disable.

Now, in the future, with "pay-per-mile" schemes, these devices may become mandatory. Speaking of "pay-per-mile" this is my real motivation to disable telematics. I will NOT allow anyone to evaluate my miles driven to tax me further than I am already taxed. Allowing your in-vehicle telematics or personal mobile phone to track you for taxation? Heck no. They can pound sand for all I care!
I want to make it as difficult as possible to track my miles driven and where!
BTW, I too don't care if they know where I am, unless it's used to tax me.