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John Deere 'Kill Switch' renders stolen tractors useless (2022)

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Re: John Deere 'Kill Switch' renders stolen tractors useless (2022)

#31

Post by anilakar »

BiteCode_dev wrote: post #6
Gigachad wrote: post #3

Tbh this seems not that problematic. I get that there is a lot of distasteful stuff going on around John Deere, but I think it's useful to see this on it's own which is a useful feature. Account locks have done a huge amount to reduce phone theft, a tractor is 100x more expensive.

Yes, but phones have a reason to be online most of the time. A vehicle should be able to be used without ever being online. Otherwise you are at the mercy of udpates, the provider good will (and John Deere as little), network availability and so on.

So are CNC machines. Are you aware that if you move a modern one, it's gonna be bricked?

Re: John Deere 'Kill Switch' renders stolen tractors useless (2022)

#32

Post by olliej »

Xylakant wrote: post #24
aikinai wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh yeah, good point. I can’t imagine how that’s worth it then…

They will sell the hardware to unwitting victims as new via eBay, Craigslist, … and disappear before the victim figures it out. It is a new iPhone in the original shrinkwrap - who’d become suspicious?

A cheap sealed boxed iPhone off craigslist or eBay seems like something I'd be suspicious of.

Re: John Deere 'Kill Switch' renders stolen tractors useless (2022)

#33

Post by ris58h »

Xylakant wrote: post #25
14 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you look at the cost of a new screen or battery you can see that parts do have some value. For a thief even $50 is a score.

Apples lockdown even includes hardware such as screens. You can’t just transplant an iPhone screen from one phone to another.

> You can’t just transplant an iPhone screen from one phone to another.

Why so? May be I can't but how difficult it for a repair shop?

Re: John Deere 'Kill Switch' renders stolen tractors useless (2022)

#35

Post by coldtea »

olliej wrote: post #32
Xylakant wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They will sell the hardware to unwitting victims as new via eBay, Craigslist, … and disappear before the victim figures it out. It is a new iPhone in the original shrinkwrap - who’d become suspicious?

A cheap sealed boxed iPhone off craigslist or eBay seems like something I'd be suspicious of.

You'd be surprised.

If you mean "suspicious that it might have been stolen", the buyers are suspicious too, but they don't care, they're fine with it if it means they get it for cheaper.

Re: John Deere 'Kill Switch' renders stolen tractors useless (2022)

#36

Post by coldtea »

olliej wrote: post #27
makeitdouble wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure we have proof it's that effective. Recently 400+ phones were stolen from a store in a well prepared way, so I assume there's plenty of ways to work around or get value from the stolen phones despite whatever Apple is doing: https://www.macrumors.com/2023/04/06/washington-apple-store-...

Why would activation lock prevent stealing a new phone? Definitionally a phone that has not been sold doesn't have an account tied to it.

Doesn't need an account. It just needs to not be able to be activated anymore, because the serial number is "marked" as stolen.

Re: John Deere 'Kill Switch' renders stolen tractors useless (2022)

#37

Post by shortcake27 »

ris58h wrote: post #33
Xylakant wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apples lockdown even includes hardware such as screens. You can’t just transplant an iPhone screen from one phone to another.

> You can’t just transplant an iPhone screen from one phone to another. Why so? May be I can't but how difficult it for a repair shop?

Because all the parts are paired. Hugh Jeffreys has an interesting series where he buys two new phones and swaps the parts. Basically nothing can be swapped without breaking core functionality. Swapping a screen, for example, loses true-tone and auto brightness.

This can be fixed by replanting a tiny chip from the old screen to the new screen, requiring extremely precise micro-soldering skills that the average repair shop doesn’t possess.

Re: John Deere 'Kill Switch' renders stolen tractors useless (2022)

#38

Post by expertentipp »

8organicbits wrote: post #9
olliej wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Activation lock for phones was demonstrably effective at reducing theft of the products it was applied to, so _if_ theft of tractors is an issue this seems like a good thing, _if_ JD is also willing to commit to/legally required to maintain the activation service.

I thought phone theft was still fairly common, although I have a hard time understanding how it's profitable. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/04/bathroom-tunneling-b...

I don't see exactly how it happens. The first guy cuts the security cables, the second guy collects the devices?

Re: John Deere 'Kill Switch' renders stolen tractors useless (2022)

#39

Post by wkat4242 »

tommica wrote: post #19
gommm wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My phone (a samsung s21 ultra) was snatched from my hand while I was using it to check google maps in Barcelona. I tried to remote wipe it 5 minutes later at my hotel but it had already been disconnected. So the thief was very quick at removing the sim card. I checked online since and it seems that even with the advent activation lock, there's still a lot of phone thefts in some countries. They just sell the spare pa…

Damn, stolen while using it, that is quite brazen :(

Unfortunately commonplace in Barcelona. A thief that is caught will only get a small fine for thefts under 400€ even if it's the 1000th time. So the chance of a fine is just taken as the cost of doing 'business' by these professional pickpocketing gangs.

If there's violence involved it's another story but if a victim initiates it, they themselves can get into trouble. So these thieves are trained to be ultra passive.

I've seen it myself. Other source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/14/woman-defends-...

Re: John Deere 'Kill Switch' renders stolen tractors useless (2022)

#40

Post by NinjaKitten »

anilakar wrote: post #31
BiteCode_dev wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but phones have a reason to be online most of the time. A vehicle should be able to be used without ever being online. Otherwise you are at the mercy of udpates, the provider good will (and John Deere as little), network availability and so on.

So are CNC machines. Are you aware that if you move a modern one, it's gonna be bricked?

Yes and we don't like it.
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