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Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not with that attitude you can't.
Maybe you can, but what about the 99.99999% of the population that can't .
To take the counterpoint to most comments on this topic: It used to be impractical to track cars to fine granularity. Now that it is practical: maybe we want that? Cars are multi-ton, incredibly-expensive pieces of hardware that operate on shared roadways. There are about 42,000 deaths related to operating them each year. Increased tracking would simplify the challenges of * Finding stolen vehicles * Discovering the…
There is a growing number of cases where the salesperson will activate OnStar (or a non-GM equivalent) without asking or telling the buyer about it. As far as I know, there is no (legal) way to deactivate OnStar or similar GPS trackers built into cars. Of course if you're driving in a city the proliferation of ALPRs is so pervasive that your movements are being tracked in real-time even if you're driving a 1958 Ford…
It looks like OnStar and other systems are on a dedicated fuse. Pulling that fuse would disable remote access to data. This would not disable onboard logging. Real location privacy on a journey would also require stashing your phone and toll box in a shielded bag and avoiding license plate readers.
There’s a shocking number of ways to track a person in their vehicle before we even get down to the license plate. If most people here on HN don’t know about them, the general public is obviously completely unaware.
https://tti.tamu.edu/researcher/now-taking-it-to-the-streets...
My immediate question is whether this information will be used to raise your insurance rates like GM was caught doing.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can probably just enable Airplane Mode on your phone and expect that to work fine.
Modern cars have their own internal GPS and cellular links. Even if they don't have mapping, it's probably still there, always on for tracking and compass bearing.
A light sensor is used determine the amount of sunlight streaming and heating the interior.
GPS data is used to help calculate the angle of the sun, and determine which areas are likely to be heated the most, and thus needs more cooling.
A compass can be used to make it work even when the car is stationary (when GPS heading is unavailable).
A singular interior temperature sensor can be used for feedback, injecting some truth to balance things out.
It may seem far fetched or even fanciful -- functionality that only exists on very expensive or exclusive brands, or very new vehicles.
But as long as the GPS receiver and nav system exist on a network, and multi-zone HVAC is a thing in a given chassis, then the rest is mostly just software that is free (for the manufacturer) to copy and use.
Thus, Honda has been doing this stuff for at least twenty years now on fairly pedestrian vehicles.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> As far as I know, there is no (legal) way to deactivate OnStar or similar GPS trackers Naively... Is it illegal to cut the power to the GPS unit? I do not see why a car needs a GPS built in. So why can I not simply disable it? What am I missing?
It's inside a complicated box that you can't reach.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not illegal, it's just that it doesn't allow it in the UI. Who do you call to have that service disabled? No one knows. The best you can do is talk to someone and have the auto renewal turned off. That doesn't turn off the existing service until the renewal period hits though.
Surely you can find the GPS antenna and disconnect it?
One more thought, in California one can request a copy of one's data and also request that it be deleted. Has anybody in CA requested a copy of all the data that has been collected? How much data per month or day does it collected? Has anybody requested that their data be deleted? Would this make it difficult the manufacturer to train the driving assistance AI if enough people requested that their data be deleted?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It looks like OnStar and other systems are on a dedicated fuse. Pulling that fuse would disable remote access to data. This would not disable onboard logging. Real location privacy on a journey would also require stashing your phone and toll box in a shielded bag and avoiding license plate readers.
The interstate also has “traffic counters” which pick up unique bluetooth IDs that are broadcast from each car’s center console infotainment system. There’s a shocking number of ways to track a person in their vehicle before we even get down to the license plate. If most people here on HN don’t know about them, the general public is obviously completely unaware. https://tti.tamu.edu/researcher/now-taking-it-to-the-st…
And even the TPMS sensors in valve stems: They go on their merry way, broadcasting their unique ID (and tire pressure) to anyone who cares to listen.
It's all quite real, and it is pervasive.
The only question is: Who, if anyone, is listening and keeping track?