this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2024
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Your Car Is Spying on You for Insurance Companies (jacobin.com)
submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
47 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

It turns out that the “Internet of Things” is full of automated snoops and spies. Data collection, now integrated into new car designs, is more pervasive than ever and is ushering in a brave new world of surveillance and corporate collusion.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

There's gotta be a way to disable telemetry. My first thought is to cut whatever antenna is used to transmit your data to the corporation. It could be the same antenna used for radio, but I'd go without radio in a heartbeat if it meant Ford, Chevy, or whoever can't spy on me in a car I paid $15,000+ for.

Of course, we shouldn't have to do this. My first choice is to not give any of these car companies a dime of my money, but literally every single brand is doing it. This disgusting trend of spying on people should be illegal. It's rapist behavior.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

When can we start open sourcing cars?

[–] [email protected] 23 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Joke's on them. I can't afford to replace my 20 year old car because everything is completely unaffordable in this hellscape

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Good news! They've been spying on you for well over 20 years at this point.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

My 25-year-old car is certainly not transmitting anything.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnStar

Onstar has existed since 1996. Cars have been doing this for a long time and it’s not new.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

I'm sure it was possible, but I'm also sure my car doesn't do that.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

In related news, the DoJ are suing Apple because car manufacturers can’t extract Tracking data out of people’s iPhones.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

This isn't even remotely true. This is specifically what the DOJ is suing over: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39780312

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

CarPlay access is also included in the Lawsuit.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/21/24107976/apple-carplay-doj-lawsuit-anticompetitive-digital-key

GM are discontinuing CarPlay integration because they couldn’t reach an agreement with Apple over user data.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/gm-confirms-its-dropping-apple-carplay-and-android-auto-from-2024-evs/

GM have been busted selling OnStar data to insurance companies for money.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/22/technology/gm-onstar-driver-data.html

Tracking individuals and selling their data is very lucrative and Automotive Manufacturers are trying to find income streams to subsidise EV sales. Apple and (to a lesser extent) Google have been protecting users data.

Porsche recently allowed Android Auto on their CarPlay-compatible headunits after negotiating with Google over owners privacy concerns.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago

It can't spy on me if it doesn't exist.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago (2 children)

What will be interesting is what the reaction will be when geeks figure out how to firewall their cars.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Please disable your firewall to be able to access the car steering features.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

🤣🤣

This is the most ridiculous, pathetic, dumb, greedy, asshole thing I can totally imagine big auto doing.

Yep. 💯% if they would offer subscriptions for heated seats; you’re god damn right they would do some shit like this.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

And with steer by wire like in the cybertruck, they could fully disable it.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Just uh, ride a bike (or buy an old car I guess, but bikes are more fun and good exercise)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Definitely a good idea if you are able. For people that have long commutes requiring driving on a freeway, it is probably not an option.

Bikes are great! I ride mine as often as possible, but many trips are not possible with bikes, in the US.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

Just move to a townhouse closer to your job... Oh wait... They tore them all down to build freeways and then made it illegal to build new ones...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

There are places in the US where you can if you're lucky enough to move there and/or live close to work, but yeah, it's a struggle for Americans to safely bike commute almost everywhere.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 7 months ago (1 children)

In the US, your car manufacturer might have a Do Not Sell My Information request form on their website. Not sure how effective it is, but it's worth trying.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That's the thing that's funny about this.

Some auto brands would ignore it, and some might actually take these requests seriously due to the legal ramifications if they don't.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago

Even if they ignored it, how would you know?

[–] [email protected] 32 points 7 months ago (4 children)

My next car will probably be a 1986 Ford Bronco with an EV conversion and zero network connectivity. Just a hunk of 4x4 steel with a ton (literally) of batteries under the hood.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Sure! We can insure that for you! Oh we just noticed that our InsureLink service isn't connecting to your car. So I'll just need you to sign this waiver saying that you're declining the InsureLink Safety discount. Just sign right here. It's just saying that we cannot offer you all of our insurance services, just like if you get in an accident or something and we can't remotely verify what you were doing at the time, we can't help you. Great! And without the Safety discount your premiums will go up by only 372.50 a month.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Dragging around a Ton of extra weight for no reason kinda defeats the purpose of going electric. Actually, dragging around the extra ton in the Broncos body kinda defeats the purpose of going electric too.

Just catch a bus!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

for no reason

for to drive

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

“Real drivers” prefer lightweight cars that are more responsive and can corner, take off and stop on a dime.

Track racing, off-road racing and even Motorkhana and technical rock-crawling is more fun in a vehicle that is the bare minimum.

The only reason any driver would want something with superfluous extra weight is in Monster Trucks for stability, and then only if they are a shit driver.

Even Tractor pulls (where the object is to pull a heavy weight) need the right balance of power:weight and ballast to have sufficient traction to offset the dead weight of the load.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Have you considered the International Harvester Scout?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The mid-80's Bronco is just for sentimentality. It was a piece of shit but given that little of the original's powertrain survives the conversion, I don't mind. My second option is a Range Rover from the same era. There I would also replace the electronics.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

What about the Unimog? That's a bog hopper mobile.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Well an EV conversion would be the only way to get one of those out of its own way. There's a reason OJ's bronco chase was so slow... My ex insisted we get a mid 80's bronco, and it was so bad. I think it averaged about 6mpg and good god it was laughably anemic. If it was me, I would look for a early 70's or late 70's bronco. Totally different styles for each, but still better than the mid 80's anything.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I think OJ single handedly killed the Bronco as a car anyone with self-respect would own.

The image of that white Bronco rolling down the highway in the slow lane with a long procession of cop cars behind in second gear was one of the most iconic images of the 90s. You couldn't have picked a worse getaway car.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Funny they discontinued the Bronco after the associated bad press only to call it's replacement the Escape!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

I guess they decided to lean into it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

My friend rolled one in highschool by taking a turn too hard

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The 2-4000lbs that would make up the new floor would def change the handling.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

fair point

[–] [email protected] 88 points 7 months ago (2 children)

She also pointed out that “Between 2019 and 2022, Tesla employees internally circulated intimate footage collected from people’s private cars for their own amusement, according to reports.”

But you can definitely trust Musk to put a chip in your head...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Imagine being late in the subscription cost. O_o

[–] [email protected] 16 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Imagine buying into such an ecosystem that's embedded in you just to get the email "we've changed! Here's what you should know! Pricing will change from x to y" etc along with all other stupid shit

Gonna be some eternal sunshine type shit with weirdos masturbating to your stream of consciousness (against TOS of course)

[–] [email protected] 20 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Mine is a few years too old to do that. Once my car is no longer working I'll be putting around on my ebike instead

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

Fuck yeah!

Also, here's shameless plug for [email protected]

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Your ebike is also spying, probably.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

You're also not required to get liability insurance on an ebike (for now)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I doubt it, where I live I barely get a cell signal

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I don’t know man, sometimes I can barely hold a YouTube stream on my phone but the ads find a away to come through. lol car and insurance companies would probably go straight to satellite or something if they can resell the info for a dollar over cost.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago

Yeah 4k ads and 96p video, the reason why it's so slow