the modem or mobile router in the car is what can be tracked by telcos via IMEI pings with or without an ESIM. telematics units can be disabled by pulling fuses and you should also call to opt out with most car manufacturers.
this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2024
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Tesla allow you to opt out of all connectivity
It means you would have no maps, no driver assist, no Internet radio
Anyway if you buy a car it is yours. The worst you can do is break the contact for whatever services are provided by the connectivity. You are allowed to modify a car however you like
Tesla don't support CD. You'd need to rip those to mp3 and keep them on your phone to play over Bluetooth
You are allowed to modify a car however you like
I'm pretty sure that's not the case. Like, even if we are not taking about adding a badly welded 4 wheel attachment without the use of a trailer hook, the car will have to go through technical inspection every few years.
If the inspectirs deem that a non-functional such system is a problem, you'll not be driving your car anywhere.
If your modification makes it unroadworthy, you might not be allowed to drive it on public roads
If your modification changes its structure you may need certification that it is still roadworthy
I'm not seeing a case where you're restricted by law from modifying the car
Software has special legal protections. You can stop it working with impunity, you can break it with impunity, you cannot legally defeat security on the software. Corey Doctorow calls the software protections "felony contempt of business model"
When you do finally drive, you'll find that having a GPS and such is awesome.
If you're paranoid to that extent, you're better off getting an old car honestly. But trust me, nobody cares about tracking your car, and there are so many licence plate readers here in Australia you're not really anonymous anyway
This is just the usual "nothing to hide" handwaving argument.
This data is not used by some theoretical policeman to laugh at how bad you drive, it is part of commercial datamining present in virtually all devices and services you use.
GPS and such? Great that I have a smartphone that I trust more, and have more control over, than this big blackbox with no access whatsoever.
I know how helpful GPS is. Also, I am not paranoid, and you shouldn't be making those kinds of assumptions about anyone you don't know. I simply want to minimize private data being open for abuse and am exploring what can and can't be done, and their benefits and disadvantages. This after all, is the privacy community you're talking in; where you share advice and knowledge about enhancing ones privacy, not telling them they are paranoid for pursuing it.
true, but totally irrelevant. Gps has nothing to do with sim cards
Cellular service has nothing to do with gps capabilities.
I think OP is referring to the whole "connected cars" thing, which isn't the same as GPS. Many cars nowadays have mobile data capabilities on and are, unbeknownst to the owner, sending all sorts of information to the car makers.
This isn't just governments and government contractors collecting data for road use and tolling. It's for-profit companies harvesting consumer data for their own purpose. OP is right to be paranoid.
Get an old car instead?
that won't work forever
It'll work for longer than a new car... minus the tracking.
Research the fuses on the car. The smart systems or modem can most likely be disabled by removing power to them.
Or if the fuses apply to too broad of a system, the wireless modem should be able to be disconnected.
Manufacturers like to implement this capability using modules which can be used across their lines of vehicles. Here's an example for a 2017 Silverado, but you'd want to research service manuals / diagrams for the vehicle you're considering buying: https://www.silveradosierra.com/threads/2017-silverado-removed-lte-modem.660593/
Unfortunately, any mobile data component likely to be integrated with something more integral to the car, like the entire entertainment/climate control interface, or something equally difficult/impossible to drive without.
This site may help you pick a car without a full-time connection. https://vehicleprivacyreport.com/report/
It's really counter productive that they require a vehicle identification number for a lookup...
Easy to take a phone to a used car lot and enter a few vins
Not as easy as being able to look it up with make and model name from the comfort of my own desk chair
If it doesn't have a full-time connection, it's still possible to have an eSim, right?
There are basically two classes of cars.
A "hard drive on wheels" which records events encase of an accident - a black box.
The other is a "smartphone on wheels". These are the cars that have an eSim with a full-time internet connection.
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