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Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?

rivian.com

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Re: Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?

#121
post #111

>It sounds to me like this is more akin to the Cellular Data toggle on Android as opposed to Aeroplane mode. If that is the case, it will presumably not prevent your vehicle from connecting to cellular base stations, which means your vehicle will still be trackable by network operators. ( https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/rivian-allows-you-to-dis... )

> disable the eSIM card in the vehicle Disabling a SIM card almost certainly means no connection to the network.

Your phone still connects to the cellular network without a sim card or eSim. It is mandated by law in the US. The only way to prevent your phone from connecting/pinging/being pinged by the cellular network is to put it in airplane mode.

(https://grapheneos.org/faq#cellular-tracking)

Whether there is a sim enabled/disabled/installed is irrelevant. The question is whether this feature is Airplain Mode or if it is just disable cellular.

Re: Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?

#123
post #33

> limit or disable certain functionality in the vehicle: ... over-the-air updates, which provide new ... safety enhancements ... I wonder what happens if you disable the e-SIM (in the US) and then a safety recall appears via software update - do dealers have any way to update control modules besides OTA? This is a huge unresolved issue with EVs IMO; ICE cars are required to provide emissions-relevant updates over sof…

I wonder what happens if you disable the e-SIM (in the US) and then a safety recall appears via software update - do dealers have any way to update control modules besides OTA? Yes. You get a letter in the mail asking you to take your car to the dealer so they can install the update. Been there. Done this.

Interesting, I reviewed every Rivian software update recall letter I could find before I posted this and they all said something like "If you have not already updated to software version 2025.18.30 or later, please do so to remedy this issue at no cost to you," with no mention of the dealership as a remedy - for example, https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V585-0759.pdf . This is different from other manufacturers who explicitly mention the dealer, like this Ford EV recall: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCAK-25V863-3736.pdf

Re: Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?

#124
post #19
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who got into a rollover accident which ended with my car upside down on a freeway, hearing only the onstar person talking to me while half conscious, this is sad. I do distinctely remember strongly disliking the user agreement I signed for the "internet connected" features of the car when I bought it. 100% rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn't' find a way to opt out, and I wasn't so motivated to physicall…

> As someone who got into a rollover accident which ended with my car upside down on a freeway, hearing only the onstar person talking to me while half conscious, this is sad. My phone does this now. Most phones do it now.

My phone does this now. Most phones do it now.

Only if it hasn't been crushed, damaged, or otherwise flung out of the vehicle that crashed so violently that it's actually upside down, as noted in the original comment.

Re: Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?

#125
post #33

> limit or disable certain functionality in the vehicle: ... over-the-air updates, which provide new ... safety enhancements ... I wonder what happens if you disable the e-SIM (in the US) and then a safety recall appears via software update - do dealers have any way to update control modules besides OTA? This is a huge unresolved issue with EVs IMO; ICE cars are required to provide emissions-relevant updates over sof…

WiFi. Flip it on for an update, then leave it off. > do dealers have any way to update control modules besides OTA? Yes.

WiFi is, err, still OTA, although it does answer the eSIM question. I assume the truly concerned/paranoid wouldn't want to connect to WiFi either, since presumably telemetry / tracking metadata could be uploaded at that time too.

Re: Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?

#126
Why cant users disable connectivity elsewhere other thsn canada? People are supposed to call their car dealer each time after car update before turning it off again? Seems to be a cheap pr stunt to portray canadian regulation in attempt to shed good light on rivian

Re: Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?

#127
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> disable the eSIM card in the vehicle Disabling a SIM card almost certainly means no connection to the network.

Your phone still connects to the cellular network without a sim card or eSim. It is mandated by law in the US. The only way to prevent your phone from connecting/pinging/being pinged by the cellular network is to put it in airplane mode. ( https://grapheneos.org/faq#cellular-tracking ) Whether there is a sim enabled/disabled/installed is irrelevant. The question is whether this feature is Airplain Mode or if it is ju…

Ah, I thought you were likening it to the disable cellular data button which does not disconnect the cellular network.

Instead you are referring to the fact that the radio may remain on even if it has no active SIM card.

Given that the primary concern of connected vehicles is changes over time and manufacturer control, I don’t see any reason to make that distinction for most people.

Re: Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?

#128
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ignoring the fact that it's absolutely unhinged and bonkers to include that in the first place, I don't even understand how they could possibly ever get any information about that. Are they using LLMs to generate these policies without review? Or are there really lawyers out there who thought this was pertinent and important to include?

Any car that can record audio in the cabin could have information about your sexual activity. Could also argue it based on location data. Some laws require discussing very specific lists of categories of information they might have. I'm guessing this is a completionist CYA lawyer accounting for this.

I was thinking all it takes is an IMU to tell if the car is a rockin'

Re: Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?

#129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He expects an absurd level of effort from other people to protect privacy when he isn't doing the bare minimum for what he actually does himself.

> a physical button New definition of "absurd" just dropped...

This is massively simplifying what is needed for a single button to physically (not just digitally) disconnect multiple components.

Re: Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?

#130
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder what happens if you disable the e-SIM (in the US) and then a safety recall appears via software update - do dealers have any way to update control modules besides OTA? Yes. You get a letter in the mail asking you to take your car to the dealer so they can install the update. Been there. Done this.

Interesting, I reviewed every Rivian software update recall letter I could find before I posted this and they all said something like "If you have not already updated to software version 2025.18.30 or later, please do so to remedy this issue at no cost to you," with no mention of the dealership as a remedy - for example, https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V585-0759.pdf . This is different from other manuf…

Aren’t Rivian dealers relatively rare? I’d compare them to Tesla.
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