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Modern cars’ smart features could be used to spy on you, drivers warned (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 day ago by Orwi@programming.dev to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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[-] irotsoma@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 7 hours ago

The problem has very little to do with Chinese Imports. The car companies all over the world are already collecting a ton of data. For example, there have already been many reports of how auto insurance companies in the US buy that data from multiple companies and use it to raise premiums for people who drive recklessly, among many other uses. Also, just having an always on transmitter in a car now makes it easy for companies like Flock to track your vehicle and that is explicitly for law enforcement, and their systems have already been proven to be easily hackable. If you think governments and malicious actors don't also buy and/or steal that information, you aren't paying attention.

[-] gatitaQwQ@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

That was already pretty obvious. You’d have to be stupid to think technology doesn’t spy on people. Even the fact that our phones are always watching us makes us think about these new things with AI. That’s the world we live in: a mess. They’re always watching us. All of this makes the world hypocritical and capitalist. :/

[-] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 5 points 12 hours ago

That is their sole purpose, yes.

[-] HomeOnEarth@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 23 hours ago

Could be? More like actively are!!

[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 day ago

Dutch spy chief warns guns can be used to shoot bullets.

[-] SpeakSizzling@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 23 hours ago

Poor bullets. They didn't choose that life.

[-] whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works 81 points 1 day ago

could? that's some optimistic point of view

[-] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 day ago

GM has been banned from selling user data to insurance companies in the US and Tesla has been in the news multiple times for sharing video from inside people’s cars.

This should be a forgone conclusion especially with Europe mandating cameras in cars now.

[-] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I hate that camera surveillance in cars is happening like that. Unfortunately people have also been proven to be absolute morons when driving and doing all sorts of other shit than actually keeping their eyes on the road, and inattentive driving is the leading cause of accidents. So this is sort of something people brought on themselves by being idiot drivers.

[-] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 day ago

Yes, but I feel like putting cameras in cars isn’t the answer. People are already finding ways to trick the computer into thinking they are paying attention:

We need far stricter enforcement, too many people treat driving like a right instead of a privilege. Even drunk driving isn’t treated as a license removing offense in a lot of places.

[-] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago

But what is the answer? Higher fines isn't doing much to change this behavior, even withdrawing licenses and impounding cars have very limited effect. Do we throw people in prison for being inattentive in a car?

[-] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 3 points 14 hours ago

I’m not sure there is any one answer but I think I would start with education. Anti-littering campaigns haven’t ended littering but they have certainly shifted the public mindset around litter, I think distracted driving is going to need to be treated the same way.

[-] stylusmobilus@aussie.zone 1 points 6 hours ago

I agree, it’s the key to the fix.

I think driving lessons, licensing and road safety should all be part of high school programs.

[-] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 14 hours ago

campaigns to "focus on driving while driving" have already been running for 15 years here.

[-] stylusmobilus@aussie.zone 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Education for driving and responsibility on the roads should really be starting in school and part of schooling programs. It’s probably one of if not the most important skill we learn and it’s one of the biggest killers, much of that through lack of responsibility.

We need to start running it through high school, as part of schooling. It could even be used to incentivise staying in school.

[-] iamtherealwalrus@lemmy.world 3 points 23 hours ago

In Norway they used to make the fines a percentage of the driver's yearly income, I do not know if this is still the case. So a chief physician for example would get fined like 150.000 NOK ~ €14.000 for drunk driving.

[-] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

This really still only scales to impact poor -> middle class people, above that and even though they pay the same percentage, their overhead is just big enough to absorb it without the same impact to their lives. Saying "it is what it is" to a €120.000 ticket really shows how little it actually hit people like this, it's a nuisance but ultimately nothing more.

[-] Schlemmy@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 day ago

Could? . . . Could?

[-] 777Prawn@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 day ago

No shit...

[-] sepiroth154@feddit.nl 31 points 1 day ago

When something could be used to spy on you, replace c with w.

[-] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 23 points 1 day ago

Replace the whole thing with "are"

[-] Valthorn@feddit.nu 10 points 1 day ago

Even replace it with "are designed to"

[-] defaultusername@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 day ago

Wamera has a nice ring to it.

[-] feral_sh@lemmy.today 19 points 1 day ago

Are being used to spy on you

[-] aizakku@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 day ago

“On the one hand this offers practical benefits, but on the other hand these systems collect a great deal of data about occupants, the vehicle itself, and about objects and people in the vicinity. Various parties, including state actors, can gain access to this data,” it added.

Practical benefit? Idk, I like driving so the nanny systems are bogus. I’ll keep my ‘08 G37S till it doesn’t make sense and then move to maybe 2010 GTI because it’s honestly a more fun car. The touchscreen sucks in the 2010, but still very few nanny systems in this vintage of car.

[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 day ago

i've discovered by accident that if you're lucky enough to have the right kind of engine and mechanics, then an older car makes more financial sense as well.

the average monthly payment for a car is around $800, and if you have the right kind of engine -- one where transmissions and head units are the most costly repairs, like nearly all did before the early 2010's -- then the worst case scenario is $3000, which is less than 4 months of payments.

but the caveat is that you have to know the right mechanics, since specialty shops like aamco dramatically inflate their prices. they wanted $7500 to replace the transmission on my 2008 and i found mechanics willing to do it for $1800 back in 2023.

and there are plenty of these mechanics around -- i've used four of them on 3 different cars since 2003. the trick is knowing who they are, since they're usually operating out of small mom & pop shops that keep bankers hours, so they're MUCH more inconvenient and harder to find than something like aamco.

[-] aizakku@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

Yea my guy is good, I take it there when I need work done on a lift. There was power issues a few weeks back so me and a buddy replaced the spark plugs(230km and prob factory plugs 😬) but no dice. So I took it to my mechanic to diagnose properly since there were no codes. Turned out it needed both catalytic converters as they were pretty clogged. He got me sorted quickly, but we got the parts from US and with the nonsense down there it was stuck at customs for like 4 days.

[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago

... we got the parts from US and with the nonsense down there it was stuck at customs for like 4 days.

one of the few good reasons to buy an american car if you're in the united states. lol

[-] ijhoo@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

somebody should tell him that this could be done with phones as well

[-] moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com 1 points 23 hours ago

We can fix that in phones with a simple reinstall, omitting gapps.

I don't know of any guide to disable the sensors on any EV

[-] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 22 hours ago

They're the same as on an ICE, There's little to no difference between ICE and EV on the low-voltage 12VDC systems.

[-] moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com 2 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Sure, but old ICE without this surveillance trash exists.

I mention EVs because there are no EVs without this surveillance trash, afaik

[-] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

You are pretty much relegated to cars that are +25 years old to get them without any monitoring at all, and depending on where you live in the world, these are almost exclusively rusty pieces of shit (thanks road salt). And buying that old cars comes with all the maintenance and reliability issues (especially during winter time). If you go newer than that you can get an original Nissan Leaf or something, that's probably the best option (and it's really kinda shitty)

[-] moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com 1 points 13 hours ago

The first generation leaf doesn't have the range I need, but the second generation does.

Is the second generation leaf a surveillance capsule?

[-] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 13 hours ago

Probably about the same as other cars sold within the last decade.

this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2026
167 points (96.1% liked)

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