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Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it

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Re: Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it

#121

Post by Proofread0592 »

encom wrote: post #71
chasing0entropy wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes - remove the telematics radio and GPS antennas. They are usually in the overhead console area around/behind the lighting and mirror controls. In BMWs, the gps antenna is behind the upper lights, the telematics and V2V antenna is in the sharkfin(unplug it from underneath the headliner)

But what's the point if you're just going to use Android Auto or Apple's car-thing instead? You're just letting some other company invade your privacy.

Consent and convenience. When I use google maps, I am trading my privacy for accurate directions and traffic times. When I buy a car that sells my location, and I get nothing in return, I feel like the deal is inequitable.

Re: Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it

#122

Post by smeej »

I found the vehicleprivacyreport.com site awfully misleading. The "Vehicle Privacy Label" only lists what the manufacturer's current policies are, not what applies to my vehicle. It makes it seem like Toyota is somehow remotely collecting and sharings tons of information about my...2007 Prius. But this car came out in 2006, well before people assumed easy internet connectivity everywhere. Shy of having physical access to my vehicle, they can't read anything, but it's not easy to find that explanation on the site.

Re: Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it

#123

Post by thrtythreeforty »

hbarka wrote: post #101

I have an electric car and if I want to remotely turn on charging, it won’t allow me unless the full data sharing option is enabled. Full data as in your driving data like a black box logger. I then have to go in the car, enable it, then I can remotely turn on charging. I have to remember to opt-out again later. Ironic I know because I can turn on charging from within the cabin without having to enable any of the dat…

Which car is this?

Re: Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it

#125

Post by mylifeandtimes »

mindslight wrote: post #78
SoftTalker wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check your tire pressures when you get gas, along with your oil and other fluid levels. Eyeball the tires every time you get in the car. These habits are not hard to develop and they will work even when the sensors malfunction (which is not infrequently). All that these sensor-based systems do is train you to be an inattentive car owner.

Throughout my entire life, I don't know if I have ever seen anyone measuring their tire pressure or checking their oil at a gas station. Visually assessing tires can be quite misleading as well - my TPMS indicator was just on, visually it looked like one tire (its pressure was fine), and the tire that was 10psi low looked normal. Falling back to an attitude of not needing automation and instrumentation is a cope , an…

maybe an age thing? When I was in high school I worked at a gas station where we would pump the gas for customers at the "full service" lane and also check their oil. The game was to upsell people an oil change. Point is, everyone saw people getting their oil checked every time they filled the tank.

And checking tire pressure was a 1x/week thing.

Re: Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it

#126

Post by jeroenhd »

ryandrake wrote: post #94
closewith wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did do this, but I also want a reasonable modern and safe car and in the EU, since 2018, that means a car with eCall. I have a 2017 that I will keep going as long as is economical, but after that, it will be nearly impossible to avoid these systems.

The idea that a 20 year old car is unsafe is auto industry FUD. Yes, there have been great safety advances since the 1970s and 1980s. They've kind of tapered off though. I would absolutely trust my family's lives in any year 2000+ vehicle.

Airbag and crumple zone safety requirements for crashes that aren't head-on are much more recent than the 2000s. Many car makers designed their cars to pass those, but will leave you dead or worse if you get T-boned.

ABS wasn't even a requirement in the EU until 2004, and American cars could be sold without ABS all the way until 2012, when traction control was also made mandatory (which the EU then also followed).

Things like the slightly-angled side pole crash test was only added to the Euro NCAP in 2015 and was updated five years later to make it a bit more realistic, though cars still woefully fail in many real-life scenarios.

I wouldn't really consider a car "safe" unless it passes the ~2015 requirements for car safety well. A well-designed car full of optional safety features from the ~2010s is probably also safe, but I wouldn't count on it unless you've done research into it.

I believe Volvo has had a reputation of being ahead of the curve with these kinds of crash safety tests, but even they had to improve over time.

Re: Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it

#127

Post by hbarka »

mixmastamyk wrote: post #114
hbarka wrote: post #101

I have an electric car and if I want to remotely turn on charging, it won’t allow me unless the full data sharing option is enabled. Full data as in your driving data like a black box logger. I then have to go in the car, enable it, then I can remotely turn on charging. I have to remember to opt-out again later. Ironic I know because I can turn on charging from within the cabin without having to enable any of the dat…

What does "remotely turn on charging" mean? Doesn't charge when you plug in?

There are a few options. You can plug it in your garage and charging can automatically begin due to a set schedule, like after midnight, or you can initiate it on demand using the cabin controls or using your iPhone as a remote.

Re: Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it

#128

Post by wormslayer666 »

emidln wrote: post #20

My 2025 Mazda Miata has a CAN connected Telematics Control Unit that sends a bunch of data to Mazda on ignition off. Among this data is acceleration and velocity data along with coordinates sampled for where you were. It is also used as a gateway for the Mazda app to start your car, query your vehicle's tire pressure, etc. It is claimed that you can opt out of this by calling Mazda and being persistent. The CAN traff…

I opted to try the "beg the manufacturer to turn off the panopticon" approach[1]. The first time I got 2 hours of elevator music before hanging up, the second I went through 3 levels of customer support before they claimed it was done (3 days later). Might have to steal your approach to verify that though...

[1] https://www.mazdausa.com/site/privacy-connectedservices

Re: Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it

#129

Post by jeroenhd »

encom wrote: post #71
chasing0entropy wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes - remove the telematics radio and GPS antennas. They are usually in the overhead console area around/behind the lighting and mirror controls. In BMWs, the gps antenna is behind the upper lights, the telematics and V2V antenna is in the sharkfin(unplug it from underneath the headliner)

But what's the point if you're just going to use Android Auto or Apple's car-thing instead? You're just letting some other company invade your privacy.

OsmAnd works fine in Android Auto with WiFi and mobile data turned off. Sygic does too. I believe TomTom also sells navigation apps that will work fine under these conditions.

I use Android Auto mostly because I don't trust manufacturers of car components to maintain their software and to put more than bargain bin SoCs in their infotainment consoles. There's no need for your Android phone to have a connection to the outside world if all you're using it for is locally installed apps.

Re: Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it

#130

Post by jeroenhd »

pixelpoet wrote: post #11
amelius wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Moving to the EU becomes a more appealing option every day.

Greetz from Germany, we have Chat Control now even though we've been trying to reject it for at least 3 years. Autocracy is just everywhere these days, Noah get the boat.

The Chat Control problem isn't nearly as final as some news sources try to brand it. They were running up against deadlines and submitted their work knowing statistically their proposal would get shot down based on existing voting rounds.

I, too, would rather see this bullshit die in committee before reaching the next stage, but this bullshit can still be stopped.

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