Spyware In Cars - It's Worse Than You Think

[Ron Texas]

https://nypost.com/2024/03/12/busin...n-you-and-upping-your-insurance-rates-report/

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2024/03/15/765068.htm

Short story: automotive telemetry systems are collecting data on rapid acceleration, sudden stops, speeding and selling them to data brokers. The data brokers are selling this information to insurance companies who are raising insurance rates for those whom they deem risky drivers. Drivers are not explicitly consenting to these practices. The culprits are GM, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Honda, Accura and possibly Ford.

 

[amper42]

Personally, I don't mind having aggressive drivers paying a bit more. They can afford a new car and need to respect safe driving. Perhaps if this information becomes public they might be a little safer on the road?

I would like these companies to also record impact data along with GPS and report it to a national public database. There are so many hit and run accidents in parking lots and on the road it's crazy. Our car was hit twice simply going inside the pharmacy in one year. No note left - $1800-2500 in damages each time. There's a growing lack of moral accountability within segments of the US population.

 

[Bob from Florida]

https://nypost.com/2024/03/12/busin...n-you-and-upping-your-insurance-rates-report/

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2024/03/15/765068.htm

Short story: automotive telemetry systems are collecting data on rapid acceleration, sudden stops, speeding and selling them to data brokers. The data brokers are selling this information to insurance companies who are raising insurance rates for those whom they deem risky drivers. Drivers are not explicitly consenting to these practices. The culprits are GM, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Honda, Accura and possibly Ford.

Don’t authorize anything and that will minimize some of it. The auto braking function will brake hard by default if someone crosses your path unless you change that setting. Believe me, it kicks in hard quite unexpectedly at times even when you are already appying the brakes.

 

[Bob from Florida]

Personally, I don't mind having aggressive drivers paying a bit more. They can afford a new car and need to respect safe driving. Perhaps if this information becomes public they might be a little safer on the road?

I would like these companies to also record impact data along with GPS and report it to a national public database. There are so many hit and run accidents in parking lots and on the road it's crazy. Our car was hit twice simply going inside the pharmacy in one year. No note left - $1800-2500 in damages each time. There's a growing lack of moral accountability within segments of the US population.

Sounds like you would enjoy living in a real life “1984”.

 

[Timcognito]

https://consumerfed.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Insurance-Auto-Telematics-White-Paper-5-26-21.pdf FYI

 

[majingotan]

Sounds like you would enjoy living in a real life “1984”.

It's already real life on all connected vehicles with OTA firmware updates. They already have the tech to disable your vehicle wherever and whenever they want and by default you don't own that asset, and you're just subscribing to their ever changing EULA

 

[ta240]

Personally, I don't mind having aggressive drivers paying a bit more. They can afford a new car and need to respect safe driving. Perhaps if this information becomes public they might be a little safer on the road?

I would like these companies to also record impact data along with GPS and report it to a national public database. There are so many hit and run accidents in parking lots and on the road it's crazy. Our car was hit twice simply going inside the pharmacy in one year. No note left - $1800-2500 in damages each time. There's a growing lack of moral accountability within segments of the US population.

While I'm not a fan of overly aggressive drivers, I've had a lot more near misses with people driving slowly that just weren't paying attention. I'd rather people are alert and accelerate quickly and that they didn't slow down in the traffic lane before moving into the exit lane (that is intentionally made long enough for them to slow down in).
Those 'safe' drivers inching slowly away from the light and braking a block in advance are creating a lot of angry drivers around them. Accelerating and braking quickly likely has very little to do with hitting other cars in parking lots, those are likely the slow moving people that have no idea where their car ends and those looking at their phone while they back out.

And, keep in mind the data is currently aggregated so that you will pay more too since you are in the same area as the other drivers.

Nothing that could go wrong with that sort of monitoring.... Unless you bump into a curb in the parking lot and someone claims their car was dented at that time; you had an impact, it must have been you. Simpler solution: add a couple dashcams with parking monitoring.

 

[amper42]

If a persons main driving safety issue is other people are driving too slow that might be a sign? To avoid aggressive driving, below are strategies offered by internet sources.

1. Practice Polite Driving Habits: Avoid tailgating, cutting off other vehicles, speeding, weaving, leaving high beam headlights on, and erratic braking. Merge politely and always err on the side of being courteous. Avoid using phone or texting while driving. Pay attention to the road.
2. Slow Down: Let aggressive drivers go around you and they will quickly be on their way.
3. Get Away from Aggressive Drivers: If you notice a driver with aggressive behavior, create distance between you by slowing down or changing lanes.
4. Don't Make Rude Gestures or Yell: Avoid engaging with aggressive drivers by making rude gestures or yelling. Avoid eye contact with an aggressive driver trying to provoke a reaction.
5. Use Your Horn Sparingly: Horns should primarily be used in emergency situations. Tap your horn lightly if needed to get a driver's attention.
6. Avoid Making Driving Competitive: Remember that driving is not a competition; focus on getting home safely rather than teaching other drivers a lesson.
7. Apologize if You've Made a Mistake: If you accidentally cut off another driver or make a mistake, smile and wave as an apology to disarm and calm most drivers. If you hit a parked car, leave your insurance and contact information.
8. Don't Drive Under Distress: Avoid driving if you're angry, upset, or drowsy to prevent reacting aggressively to other drivers' mistakes.
9. Adjust Your Driving Attitude: Give other drivers the benefit of the doubt and consider whether responding aggressively is worth the risk of injury or harm.
10. Have Reasonable Expectations About Travel Time: Plan your travel time wisely, give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination, and avoid setting unreasonable expectations for arrival time.
11. Call 911 if Under Attack: If confronted by an aggressive driver behaving violently, call 911 immediately and drive to a safe public location with witnesses.
12. If you took the time to read these suggestions and think they are proper etiquette, you're probably not an aggressive driver.

 

[Ron Texas]

Personally, I don't mind having aggressive drivers paying a bit more. They can afford a new car and need to respect safe driving. Perhaps if this information becomes public they might be a little safer on the road?

I would like these companies to also record impact data along with GPS and report it to a national public database. There are so many hit and run accidents in parking lots and on the road it's crazy. Our car was hit twice simply going inside the pharmacy in one year. No note left - $1800-2500 in damages each time. There's a growing lack of moral accountability within segments of the US population.

There's a saying "those who give up freedom for safety will eventually have neither. Substitute privacy for freedom.

 

[DesertRatt]

Last October I bought a 2019 Avalon from my local Toyota dealer. I was filing the paperwork and noticed a 1 page document about getting a 1 year "free" service for a vague stolen car program. After researching this company I discovered it is a tracking/monitoring service that relies on a DONGLE installed into my OBD system. I was shocked, as absolutely no mention was made on the document about any "device."

I raced over to the dealer and inquired with the Sales Manager. Yes, there is a cell phone based device in my car that goes on everytime you start the car. I demanded it be removed immediately and put in my hands. They were embarrased and rushed the car into the service department and removed it. It's rather large thing - see picture.

He said they put them in every car sold! They own five branded dealerships in my area.

 

[G|force]

70% of drivers in the US believe they have above average driving skill. I don't know about the rest of the country, but in urban and rural California areas that I have been, it is closer to 10% and getting worse every year.
And yes, I am an excellent driver, top 5% easy.

 

[somebodyelse]

Last October I bought a 2019 Avalon from my local Toyota dealer. I was filing the paperwork and noticed a 1 page document about getting a 1 year "free" service for a vague stolen car program. After researching this company I discovered it is a tracking/monitoring service that relies on a DONGLE installed into my OBD system. I was shocked, as absolutely no mention was made on the document about any "device."

I raced over to the dealer and inquired with the Sales Manager. Yes, there is a cell phone based device in my car that goes on everytime you start the car. I demanded it be removed immediately and put in my hands. They were embarrased and rushed the car into the service department and removed it. It's rather large thing - see picture.

He said they put them in every car sold! They own five branded dealerships in my area.

View attachment 357355

Some of those were found to have remotely exploitable security issues - https://www.techspot.com/news/61731...e-allows-hackers-wirelessly-take-control.html

 

[phoenixdogfan]

https://nypost.com/2024/03/12/busin...n-you-and-upping-your-insurance-rates-report/

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2024/03/15/765068.htm

Short story: automotive telemetry systems are collecting data on rapid acceleration, sudden stops, speeding and selling them to data brokers. The data brokers are selling this information to insurance companies who are raising insurance rates for those whom they deem risky drivers. Drivers are not explicitly consenting to these practices. The culprits are GM, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Honda, Accura and possibly Ford.

Yep, surveillance capitalism. The very reason Mark Zuckerberg is a multi-billionaire. While he was selling the idea that Facebook was your own personal, private paparazzi that you could employ to make yourself the cynosure of all your friends eyes while you lived La Dolce Vita and skinny dipped in your local version of the Trevi Fountain with your very own personal version of Anita Ekberg, he was collecting all the data factoids you left behind while doing that and selling them without your knowledge or consent to marketers, insurance companies, law enforcement, prospective employers, and Russian intelligence the better for those people to dun you with ads, deny you coverage and/or employment opportunities, track you down and prosecute you, or create narrowly targeted disinformation during election season designed to push your very hottest and most irrational buttons. Thank you, Mark.

Besta luck trying to get our "elected" representatives to do anything to protect us from this shite either, being wholly owned subsidiaries of these guys. Being done by the EU, though, because apparently there are still some places that believe a person should be the owner of his own personal information, not some spyware robber baron.

 

[Count Arthur]

Yep, surveillance capitalism. The very reason Mark Zuckerberg is a multi-billionaire. While he was selling the idea that Facebook was your own personal, private paparazzi that you could employ to make yourself the cynosure of all your friends eyes while you lived La Dolce Vita and skinny dipped in your local version of the Trevi Fountain with your very own personal version of Anita Ekberg, he was collecting all the data factoids you left behind while doing that and selling them without your knowledge or consent to marketers, insurance companies, law enforcement, prospective employers, and Russian intelligence the better for those people to dun you with ads, deny you coverage and/or employment opportunities, track you down and prosecute you, or create narrowly targeted disinformation during election season designed to push your very hottest and most irrational buttons. Thank you, Mark.

Besta luck trying to get our "elected" representatives to do anything to protect us from this shite either, being wholly owned subsidiaries of these guys. Being done by the EU, though, because apparently there are still some places that believe a person should be the owner of his own personal information, not some spyware robber baron.

So cynical, have you been listening to Yanis Varoufakis?

 

[phoenixdogfan]

So cynical, have you been listening to Yanis Varoufakis?

Never heard of him before, but reading his Wikipedia page he seems pretty interesting.

 

[Count Arthur]

Never heard of him before, but reading his Wikipedia page he seems pretty interesting.

I haven't read it, only heard him speaking about it, but his latest book is relevant to this topic.

 

[JustJones]

https://www.npr.org/2015/03/02/390245038/ben-franklins-famous-liberty-safety-quote-lost-its-context-in-21st-century

 

[Audiofire]

Service-minded or servile-minded?

 

[Ron Texas]

Yep, surveillance capitalism. The very reason Mark Zuckerberg is a multi-billionaire. While he was selling the idea that Facebook was your own personal, private paparazzi that you could employ to make yourself the cynosure of all your friends eyes while you lived La Dolce Vita and skinny dipped in your local version of the Trevi Fountain with your very own personal version of Anita Ekberg, he was collecting all the data factoids you left behind while doing that and selling them without your knowledge or consent to marketers, insurance companies, law enforcement, prospective employers, and Russian intelligence the better for those people to dun you with ads, deny you coverage and/or employment opportunities, track you down and prosecute you, or create narrowly targeted disinformation during election season designed to push your very hottest and most irrational buttons. Thank you, Mark.

Besta luck trying to get our "elected" representatives to do anything to protect us from this shite either, being wholly owned subsidiaries of these guys. Being done by the EU, though, because apparently there are still some places that believe a person should be the owner of his own personal information, not some spyware robber baron.

Actually, I think what's going on with the cars is more sinister than Facebook.

 

[DesertRatt]

Two nasty features are coming to "connected cars."
1. Remote kill switch
2. Monthly billing for features the car came with like $10/mo to use the seat heaters!