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Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

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Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#261
post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, people are just imagining the NSA led global surveillance apparatus.

Nah, the NSA doesn't need to bug your car. All cars after 2016 or so come pre bugged with an OnStar/StarLink/BMW Assist Remote/etc Telemetry System continuously sending data over 3G or LTE. Conveniently, the manufacturers already sell this data in an "anonymised" form. ( cough Otonomo cough Wejo). Private companies are so much scarier than the NSA when it comes to privacy -- you have none -- your life's data is to be…

> The NSA only cares about you if you are talking to a small number of known hostile foreign people who are already a party to a FISA warrant.

Why are you so confident about who the NSA cares about?

COINTELPRO anyone?

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For several months, keyless entry stopped working on my car. It fixed itself. My unlikely conspiracy theory is I was being tracked and interference kept the keyfob from working.

never attribute to malice (or conspiracy) what can be explained by incompetence (or bugs).

Is there a reason it is better to attribute to incompetence? Or are you just mindlessly parroting shit

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that modern cars have electronics that keep you from starting the car without the clutch pressed. Cars I owned in the 80s and 90s would engage the starter when you turned the keys. Cars since then won't engage the starter unless the clutch is in.

Even my 80s and 90s cars have a clutch switch (though the 87 is Japanese, can't speak for American cars in that decade). No pedal, no start.

It’s not necessarily a good thing. Imagine stalling on the train tracks and being unable to start the engine. You could still move the car using the starter motor, but not if it refuses to with the clutch engaged.

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Next time try generating the sales documentation using markdown.

Re. markdown, why should I? Also, what's sales documentation, is that something I should have received? Given the state of the market, choosing between many cars wasn't an option, but outside of that, I care that the process is fast, there aren't sneaky charges, and the interaction is respectful. I prefer all my paperwork printed out, and that's what they did by default.

Whhooossh moment. You said there was a $6K /markup/, parent was making a joke about /markdown/.

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never seen flashing brake lights, but indicators flash on very hard braking. It first showed up on the first-gen Citroën C5, and was copied by everyone else after that. On the C5, it was part of the "emergency brake assist", which would basically work out that if you were doing an emergency stop, you really wanted to throw out the anchors and dump all the hydraulic pressure into the brakes.

Ahh you’re right - it’s hazards that flash, it’s not the brake lights. OT: I was wondering if you were gordonjcp of scotlug fame (i don’t expect you’d remember me, i used to attend / was briefly active circa 2002-2004) but the mention of Citroen sealed it :-) hope you’re well!

I am, yes. I think I remember you? Were you at Strath at the time? That must have been the Livvy Tower/Counting House era.

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ahh you’re right - it’s hazards that flash, it’s not the brake lights. OT: I was wondering if you were gordonjcp of scotlug fame (i don’t expect you’d remember me, i used to attend / was briefly active circa 2002-2004) but the mention of Citroen sealed it :-) hope you’re well!

I am, yes. I think I remember you? Were you at Strath at the time? That must have been the Livvy Tower/Counting House era.

It was yeah, i was at GU so Livvy felt like a sneak peek behind the scenes of how the other half lived. I remember getting loads of help writing my first linux kernel module in the Counting House with a bunch of folks huddled over my laptop :-D good memories.

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that modern cars have electronics that keep you from starting the car without the clutch pressed. Cars I owned in the 80s and 90s would engage the starter when you turned the keys. Cars since then won't engage the starter unless the clutch is in.

Even my 80s and 90s cars have a clutch switch (though the 87 is Japanese, can't speak for American cars in that decade). No pedal, no start.

My 2004 audi a4 def didn’t have any switch like that but yeah seems like they started installing it everywhere some time in the last 10-15 years
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