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Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

arkadiyt.com

461–470 of 605 posts

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#461
post #5

> Even after the modem is removed, if you connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth then the car will use your phone as an internet connection and send all the same telemetry data back to Toyota. However, if you use a wired USB connection then it does not do that (see the discussion here and elsewhere), so I exclusively use CarPlay via USB. The problem with this is that both carplay and android auto capture their o…

And once you've gotten rid of Google and Apple, your telecom company tracks you, your CC payments help track you and even cameras in public do. It's hard to not want to throw your hands in the air screaming "whatever" when almost everything you use in public is somehow used to track you either as you move around, or in the future.

True, but we must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I don't own a smartphone, so neither google nor apple track anything about me that way. I leave my dumbphone at home when I'm out and about, so it basically works like a traditional landline phone, again, no data there (except for phone calls and textmessages of course).

My car is old, so no gps/trackers there, but this is troubling of course. I think that if/when I buy a new one, it has to be either some vintage car, or I have to find a workshop who can rip out all the tracking.

CC payments can be mitigated by paying cash, when available. But yes, CC and bank are a concern and so is CCTV.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#462
post #441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because no company has ever broken the law before

What a ridiculous argument! So what is the point in having laws then? No doubt you believe any adtech request for personal data should be met by the subject promptly bending over and grabbing their ankles with both hands?

Laws exist to keep the common man in check, and to punish government organizations and corporations _if_ they get caught. The original purpose is to keep voters meek and to stop them from overthrowing the politicians. Laws have very little to do with scaring corporations and nations.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#463

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And once you've gotten rid of Google and Apple, your telecom company tracks you, your CC payments help track you and even cameras in public do. It's hard to not want to throw your hands in the air screaming "whatever" when almost everything you use in public is somehow used to track you either as you move around, or in the future.

I use a googleless flip phone and just don't do anything important on it, and leave it behind often. We didn't always carry tracking devices with us, you can choose not to. You can also buy an older car that doesn't come with a SIM card installed.

This is the way! But note that telcos are working hard to ban dumbphones from their networks. There is a clear push to force people to dump dumbphones and accept the digital surveillane device.

Should that happen, I will move to a VoIP provider. Not perfect, but better than a smartphone.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#464

Be careful messing with your (modern) car like this. It may work at first glance. In some time in the future you may not be able to unlock your car. As mentioned in the article as part of the introduction, there were problems with those car regarding security. Especially with the Rav4 where a colleague, Ken Tindell, showed a very serious flaw: https://kentindell.github.io/2023/04/03/can-injection/ Because of this OEM…

Does changing the date fix it?

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#465
post #305
post #46

I cannot imagine the paranoia that it would take for me to go through this process.

Get a determined ex-partner who knows a lot about you and wants to harm you or kidnap your children. For most people this represents the greatest immediate risk with this kind of data.

How will they get access to this data? Hax into Toyota to track this one specific Rav4?

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#466
post #46

I cannot imagine the paranoia that it would take for me to go through this process.

I honestly can't either. A lot of people drive around with navigation set on their phones which also track every movement and knows your exact location and travel speed, might even know how aggressive you drive based on accelerometer data and all that info can be uploaded from navigation app like Waze which is very popular

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#467

There's a fortune to be made for whomever produces a car that has minimal features, and and electric-drivetrain with onboard gasoline generator. No screens, knobs and buttons, no assists. Extra fortune if you can licence designs and revive some of the old-and-loved classics with new safety features.

There is no way that is true, basic cars have always existed, like Dacia with bare minimum features to pass all requirements and they are far from being popular. The fact of the matter is, is that people just like fancy things and cars especially

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#468
post #453
post #440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it seems just unbelievable that the statement is true So do you think UK/EU vehicle manufactures are deliberately in mass breach of data privacy law... fully knowing the cost of a consumer backlash, fines and vehicle recall costs to fix any law breach? Really? It's genuinely amazing how many Americans on here (a tech news site!) are unaware of data privacy law and expectations outside their homeland.

> So do you think UK/EU vehicle manufactures are deliberately in mass breach of data privacy law... fully knowing the cost of a consumer backlash, fines and vehicle recall costs to fix any law breach? They were also in mass breach of vehicle emission laws. The fact that there was some backlash (although people didn't really stop buying VAG cars), people got prosecuted, the company got fined, didn't really change thei…

> To them it's still a cost/benefit analysis, and history has shown short term benefit trumps many other things for these companies.

Doesn't that depend on the company though? Not all companies are focused in the same amount on short vs long term benefits.

There are costs of not following the regulation (example, did not check in detail: https://www.enforcementtracker.com/) and I do not hear (media, social network, etc.) anybody complaining about fines so I think it will just continue ad hopefully will change their opinion at some point.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#469
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kias have a “Massachusetts mode” flag hidden behind a service menu (that needs a dealer code) that disables telematics at the owner’s request. However, the service menu pin also has timeout protection that will inject a waiting period between retries so there is no guessing. I don’t think there’s convincing my dealer to get into the service menu and disabling it. I would presume that other manufacturers might have th…

I'm more afraid of the likelihood of someone smashing the window on a modern Kia thinking they can start it up with an iPhone lightning cable (just look up "Kia Boys" if you're confused by any of this) and drive off with it, when in fact, they cannot anymore. Unfortunately, until people stop breaking into Kias I'll avoid the brand in perpetuity.

OK, except the kids these days have the cheap Autel immo/key programmers and the Autel universal keys. They're just cracking into cars, plugging in the Autel, and running the all-keys-lost procedure on quite a few makes and models and just driving away.

You can get an Autel KM100 for under ~$400 from China. Worked great to program in a couple spare keys for my car and less than what the dealer was gonna charge...

https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/teens-indicted-colum...

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#470

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's still a fuse for the DCM even in this car but: - It has an internal battery and will keep running for quite a while after pulling the fuse. This is a safety feature in case you get in a crash that disconnects the 12V battery - It will break your in-car microphone as discussed. Repairing that requires opening up the dash - That won't do anything for disconnecting the GPS antenna

GPS is receive only. If you've disabled the ability to send telemetry, there should be no reason to be concerned about the GPS antenna.

My Ford ~(2018 era SYNC system) has GPS and Bluetooth but no cellular modem.

It still technically is used for telemetry... but only when you get into a wreck. It'll ping the onboard GPS at that time for coordinates, then place a voice call over your paired cellphone to 911 with TTS coordinates and information about the wreck.

"Attention. A side crash with rollover has occured in a Ford vehicle. Multiple impacts detected. The maximum speed change was 38 miles per hour. Airbags deployed. Detected ONE seatbelt fastened. Press 1 at any time for location information, or press 0 at any time to speak with vehicle occupants."

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