Before I click in, does anyone have any background on the source link author org/individual, haven't seen this outlet before?

I really do hope that this crap is handled better in EU. At least theoretically it should be.

The hero photo for the article shows a camera over a road that likely is likely running number plate recognition software...

Honestly I'd be more worried about where that data is going than the tracking software in your car. They've got the most critical information (where did you drive and when), and they've got it for every car instead of just Honda drivers.

This needs to be fixed with legislation, and it needs to be fixed actively. For example by getting rid of number plates entirely and replacing them with something like the transponders used in aircrafts and ships, but with an encrypted rolling code that only shares your data when authorised to do so (by the owner of the vehicle).

Apple "Find My" works like that... your location is encrypted, and it's uploaded without any identifying information. When the user brings up a map looking for their keys, that's the only time encryption keys are handed over allowing the already stored information to be accessed. The car version of that could be police asking you at every traffic stop to hit a button on your dashboard that unlocks your registration/insurance details so they can run a quick check against their outstanding warrant/etc database.

Please, Toyota, don't do this. They refuse to go full out EV. Hopefully they too decide to keep some of these technologies away from their products.

I was just thinking yesterday what car I would get if I had infinite money and while I'm sure such one probably exists I couldn't came up with one that I'd like better than my -07 Nissan Navara. I mean yeah I would ofcourse do a total overhaul on it and add a bunch of offroad accessories and such but the truck itself basically has everything I need and switching to a newer one would just add stuff I dont want.

I like cars and trucks but I'm extremely uninterested in most of the new ones. Something similar happened with them as with smartphones when they turned from tools into fashion accessories you use to show off to your friends. Can't we just have ones that are decent looking and come with the basic necesary features and nothing more? I want it simple, reliable and easy to fix. I don't want a computer on wheels.

Crap like this is why I ride a motorcycle.

Only one of my bikes even manages to have enough electronics in it to have a clock.

You can rip out the cell connection