This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Remember when they ran ads suggesting that if independent mechanics had access to the car's software that it would result in stalking and assault? Remember when they said the only way to keep people safe is to protect that data by only using "qualified" mechanic shops (aka dealers)?
Turns out all of that was a lie. Total shocker, I know.
I remember. Massachusetts had a right-to-repair ballot question a few years ago. Auto manufacturers and dealers went HARD with that line.
Meanwhile, nobody asking "wait why is the car storing all that data in the first place?"
If we had a functioning regulatory framework in this country there would have been a law passed somewhere around 2010 restricting the kinds of data collected and how long it could be stored. Instead we have data brokers selling data to cops outside fourth amendment protection and it’s totally fine because people “agreed” to have their data collected and sold on the open market.
nobody asking "wait why is the car storing all that data in the first place?"
“wait why is the car storing all that data in the first place?”
I'll bite. In the 1980s, AUDI/VW was sued for "sudden acceleration", which was Americans mashing the gas pedal by mistake. Then it was Toyota in 2019, but they proved with data black boxes that the crying Karens on TV were lying. But, not all Toyotas had black boxes and they still paid out $1B in settlements. Same thing with Tesla, but those lawsuits ended quickly when data showed driver fault.
Amazingly, while these cars were sold worldwide, only one country reported "sudden acceleration". Now people are trying to sue for FSD crashes and again, Tesla data revealed improper use of FSD.
People are making expensive warranty claims after abusing their vehicles. Every shop in Americe now installs anti-tank barriers because off the number of Boomers flying into the shops when they hit the wrong pedal.
So, if you are a large automaker, and you aren't collecting data, you will be sued for a phantom in your cars by America's massive industry of ambulance chasers. Literally billions of dollars are spent on frivolous auto lawsuits.
That's cool and all but they don't need more than 30 seconds of sensor data to get what they need. Not storing days or weeks (or more, who knows?) of location data.
Certainly not on a device that costs tens of thousands of dollars and the hardware will remain functional for well past a decade but the software updates end in 5 years.
I want to be shocked, but gestures to the world, that these transparent attempts to control the market by limited consumer choices were not immediately responded to by the responsible regulatory systems that we have setup.
Maybe once the Fascists are gone we can replace the smoking hole that is the US government with something more akin to the fairy tales that we were told in class.
jk, new dark ages coming right up
New U.S. rules will soon ban Chinese software in vehicle systems that connect to the cloud
Seems to me that the easiest way to get into compliance would be to not make the car connect to the cloud/internet. I'm gonna drive my 2017 model until I can buy a new car that isn't a smartphone on wheels.
Why should I care when the US government doesn't give a shit about protecting me from US companies?
Because every single foreign government hacks every other foreign government every single chance they get. If I get any say in the matter I'd rather keep my list of enemies as small as possible(aka only the US government). Most rational people would agree with that. At least you have some say in accountability for the US government, in theory at least.
I feel like every time this topic comes up people forget all of this and also forget that China's energy, automotive, literally every industry in China is controlled by PRC/CCP, 100%. Even the US/China joint ventures have to follow rules laid out by the PRC/CCP.
At least you have some say in accountability for the US government, in theory at least.
Where is your evidence of this?
Should be illegal for cars to have internet connections or to phone home.
Best part is companies like Toyota also charging you to use the network connection they use to spy on you for services like remote start.
There are useful things about internet connections and phone home. Maybe not for you, but for many.
For company vehicles when the car is due for an oil change the mechanics should be informed not the driver. Likewise the company should be able to track where their cars are and when they are driving (and restrict them from driving outside of their territory). For things like snow plows the company needs to track where they have plowed already.
When it is cold it is nice to tell the car to start warming up 5 minutes before you get into it. For electric cars that are currently plugged in this is important as it lets you spend grid energy to warm up the car instead of range.
It is also useful to have up to date maps on the car - there are things a built in system can do that android auto / apple carplay cannot do. Though you have to drive a lot for this to be worth it. (My car as GM's onstar and no android auto - I don't pay for it, but I could see in a 10 minute test drive how onstar is better if you are driving the car for hours every day - since I mostly work from home or bike it isn't worth it, but I can see how it is better despite not being better)
But there needs to be a non-charge option for things like remote start.
There should be an option to turn it all off for those who don't want to be spied on though.
Also, features like remote start could be implemented to function over a local network rather than needing to connect to the internet at all.
All spying needs to be owned by the person who owns the car. GM or however might have data, but it needs to not be accessible by them except by my agreement. Do I want my dealer to know when I need an oil change - maybe (depends on if I trust my dealer), or maybe I want my independent mechanic to know this, or maybe I change my own oil and want only me to know.
I don't believe for a second that a company fleet service is just free as-is through toyota. For that to be centrally managed they must have an enterprise service level that they have to pay for.
Toyota reports your driving information to your insurance nowadays using their built-in spyware that you cannot disable. Buddy driving your car recklessly? Too bad, you're a dangerous driver now and your rates go up.
You are not wrong - but the point is there is value here, are just not getting it to the right people.
part of an effort to prevent cameras, microphones and GPS tracking in cars from being exploited by foreign adversaries.
Translation: our government hates competition
https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/the-car-industry-is-racing-to-replace-chinese-code-6b939e1f
Here is the original article. MSN is a cancer
