Live data from Hacker News

Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

gizmodo.com

601–610 of 660 posts

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#601
post #387

Earlier quoted context omitted.

just wait until insurance companies demand access to your telemetry or they triple your rates.

They already do the opposite. Usage-based insurance gives you per-day/per-trip insurance in exchange for tracking (Milewise) or to drive discounts off your existing rates. (RightTrack)

Mile Auto claims to do it with snapshots of your odometer instead of requiring a spy device. Unfortunately, they don't offer insurance in my area.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#602

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re old. Almost no one has that muscle memory anymore. Hell almost no one listens to the radio anymore, people listen to Spotify or podcasts.

I exclusively use streaming, and I still find that I want to control the volume, or skip to the next song, etc. Thankfully my car has a scroll wheel on the steering wheel to do that, or I'd be pretty irritated.

Most cars still have the steering wheel controls from what I’ve seen regardless of screens. I think even teslas have some steering wheel buttons

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#603

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m pretty sure most of the car subreddits are managed by dealership employees who benefit from markups via increased commissions. The fact that they make reference to complaining about price markups as economic illiteracy increases my confidence in this hypothesis. I’m tempted to go make a post about rent seeking, deadweight loss and price collusion in oligopolistic conditions but somehow I feel my economic literacy…

/r/whatCarShouldIBuy is a pretty decent sub. Comparing answers there to /r/askCarSales is pretty funny, such different advice.

I posted a very bad dealership experience I had to both /r/Kia and /r/askcarsales. The Kia thread had more than a hundred comments, 99% supporting me and my decision to shop elsewhere. The /r/askcarsales commenters immediately started making up scenarios in favor of the dealerships, assuming I was mean, condescending, arrogant; basically all of the characteristics the salesman actually demonstrated, they tried to pin on me.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#604

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks. I read the original article and conspicuously absent is the actual mechanism of the data collection that is occurring here. Some of the claims seem barely believable. Is data exfiltrated from the phone, via some kind of data access loophole in Android Auto / Car Play? Are the microphones in vehicles actively listening to conversations and shipping them off for analysis? Or is this all purely hypothetical (i.e…

> Are the microphones in vehicles actively listening to conversations and shipping them off for analysis? Or is this all purely hypothetical (i.e., they say they have the right to use it, so clearly they must be trying to acquire it...)? All data that they can acquire will be acquired because data can be sold, leading to higher quarterly profits. There are almost no other considerations.

This is reductionist and absurd. You bought an iPhone or an Android phone with a microphone. Will you automatically assume that Apple and Google will turn on your microphone remotely, acquire data, and sell them?

If not, why do you assume so for cars?

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#605

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to go this route already. As a new driver, my rates were quite high - and the best option for lowering that was letting them track my driving through an app on my phone. I don't particularly like it, but it's something I'll just have to live with.

What if you buy a second phone that you always leave at home?

Don't repair shops like to record mileage? I'd imagine there'd be questions if something happened and that was wildly off from what your ~~ankle monitor~~ phone app says it should be.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#606
post #413

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never really seen the issue with "manual in traffic" -- there's almost always a gear or two that allow you to go a the speed of traffic without tons of shifting. Stop and go? 2nd probably goes from "creep" to "moderate speed" Anyhow, electric cars are better all around -- at least those with "one pedal driving" where the speed pedal goes all the way to zero or nearly zero. My dislike of automatics is the indeter…

"Semi-automatic" cars (aka an automatic transmission with a manual gear override available) are a nice compromise for those of us who want the simple convenience most of the time, with the ability to take control when we want to. Plus once the order comes in, those servo motors can shift the gear way faster than I can depress a clutch.

Yeah I quite like those.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#607

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate them so much. Otherwise great cars are completely ruined by touchscreens. What was wrong with tactile knobs you could operate one handed without looking? You’re driving for fuck’s sake. It’s why things like the GR Corolla are nearly miraculous in 2023, it even comes stick shift only.

As an European, where we drive mostly stick, it's funny to observe the newfound US love for stick shifts. It's funny because it happened almost exactly when automatics became good! Good dual clutch gearboxes are amazing, but even "classic" ones like BMW's ZF6 or ZF8 are really close. ZF8 is so good BMW uses it in the M3, instead of a dual clutch. With these options, I'd never go back to stick shift. This after having…

The difference between being forced to use one vs choosing to use one.

I’ve driven some real nice autos, but when it comes to a car I enjoy driving, give me a nice sloppy GM T-56 or the crisp shifts of a BMW ZF stick. They’re just more fun. It’s the reason why I don’t have a C8 corvette.

But when it comes to day to day puttering around, auto all the way, and give me as many convenience features as you have. Radar cruise control? Yes please. Nothing worse than riding your clutch for an hour straight every day.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#608
post #426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s just plain factually incorrect. You aren’t allowed to drive unless you pass a written and driving test in all 50 states, with only a few exceptions like agricultural use. The default state of your rights in the USA is that you are not allowed to drive. It is effectively an additive privilege that you have to go out of your way to obtain. The constitution doesn’t restrict the government’s ability to regulate th…

Is there a fantasy map of the U.S. with mass transit lines and associated cost? Hell, I'd even love to look at such a fantasy map for Atlanta, GA where Marta is built out throw all that crazy Atlantan sprawl...

We destroyed our world’s best rail infrastructure on purpose to serve industrialist automotive companies. You could get anywhere by train in 1925, with so much frequency it is a daunting task to even count up the schedules.

https://youtu.be/svao4PZ4bGs

Despite now having 3x the population of that time period, our rail service is basically non-existent in comparison. This isn’t the case in less wealthy and less dense countries.

What is the cost of the interstate highway system? How much of it could have reduced lanes or not exist if there were trains? How much productivity and GDP is wasted on people operating vehicles on the highway when trains can travel over 3x faster and facilitate continued work?

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#609
> security tests conducted by Mozilla

I just bought a Kia Niro. So I read the articles on Kia and Hyundai (Kia controller) and couldn't find any "tests" on them.

Most of it is just "the privacy policy says this and that" and "they may collect this and that".

Not saying I am not concerned. But I'd prefer a lot less fear mongering and more hard evidence.

Like my TV, will keep my car of the internet, then.

Re: Internet-connected cars fail privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla

#610
post #405

> The worst offender was Nissan, Mozilla said this is ironic; my wife bought a brand new 2020 model year Nissan 370Z 50th anniversary edition in 2021, and it feels like it is from the late 90s. no touch screen (actually no screen at all!), no GPS/navigation, no tracking, no Bluetooth audio streaming(!!) it does have mobile phone Bluetooth connectivity and a terrible backup camera but those are the only bits of modern…

How can it have no screen? They even forced Mazda to put a back up camera in the Miata - which is beyond idiotic.

Backup cameras weren't required in vehicles until (i think) 2018. My guess is that (similar to banning popup headlights), it was only required for new vehicle models released. The 370z had a ridiculously long production run starting in 2008, so they weren't required to put one in
Post reply on HN