Mozilla released their studies, and I’m seeing a growing number of posts on the Internet about cars and the privacy nightmare they entail. I remember how this issue wasn’t talked about earlier because “just buy an older car” was still prevalent. I’m so happy that people are taking notice. Thank you to this community and Mozilla for the work they are putting in!
I’m basically in the position that I’m driving a car from 1999, and when it finally dies, I’ll either be resigned to riding the bus or finding another aged used car without all this absolute bullshit in it.
Maybe it really is time for the Free Open Source Vehicle.
Get ready for the Pine Car
I mean… I’d buy one. Already got a Pinecil.
You don’t need a very old car, just one that is old enough the cellular network doesn’t work any more.
Some vehicles were made for 3g, and can’t go to 4g for example.
Just put a faraday cage around the antenna.
My VW has carplay / android auto but the built-in Sim no longer functions (2g).
From 2011 has most modern luxuries
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TMobile recently dropped 3g I think. I have an old iphone (4 I think) and they could not get my sim to work on it because it did not support 4g.
Not everywhere in the world. Australia have turned off 2g for instance.
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We’re a bit mad out here, we turned off CDMA in favour of 3G. The 3G system our main telco implemented was built for England and didn’t have amps built into the specifications.
Every site that was rolled out in regional areas needed to be attended to and upgraded with amplifiers (I know as I was one of such techs) doing heaps more work during the changeover period.
I believe the main reason is to reduce the volume of channels being broadcast on, to free up for other services (our analogue TV is turned off too).
Maybe it really is time for the Free Open Source Vehicle.
Sure, but what it is for certain time for is making this sort of spying and tracking illegal. If I as a private citizen tracked someone this much, it would be considered stalking, which is a criminal offense.
Getting a base model can somewhat help too. My 2020 car only has carplay. No built in navigation or any remote or homing tech (that I know of). It’s the higher trims that get all the fancy tech “features”.
Oh my god, no. No, no, no.
Just because they aren’t making those features available to you doesn’t mean they aren’t still tracking all that stuff.
I mean sort of. What is “base” has also changed.
Try finding an EV that doesn’t have automatic windows but has old school manual rollup/rolldown windows. You can’t, even though its more environmentally friendly.
I’m sorry but roll windows are awful and I’ve personally seen people nearly get in accidents because they’re focused on rolling the window instead of the road.
I am willing to bet A LOT that the energy consumption of the small window servo is trivial on the ev’s battery and is a worthwhile expenditure so that the already incompetent drivers aren’t engaging in a physical task while driving down the highway.
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I’ve definitely fiddled more on finding the damn switch to roll the windows than manually rolling them down. Goddamn switch is always in a different place.
That’s absurd. You must have many other issues if finding a button that is nearly guaranteed to be in basically the same spot across all cars is so difficult.
I actually have :D But seriously, alright then. Maybe it’s just me.
I mean, that has a lot more to do with trying to multitask on the freeway than it does the windows. I’ve seen people fiddling with their phones or the touchscreens in their car just as badly.
That’s an issue of an unwillingness to plan ahead and focus on driving, not the windows themselves.
I’m definitely not a fan of treating everyone like a baby who needs coddling because some people can’t be fucked to do better. Aww poor babies need power windows so they can drive without distraction!
Telling me I can’t have manual roll windows because some people are fucking idiots is a joke.
When someone slams their car into mine on the freeway because they were dicking around with their phone, I’ll make sure to blame the phone for existing.
You’re diverting the argument. A power window can not be more environmentally friendly in any meaningful way
I think maybe you responded to the wrong person, because that was kind of my point.
If you can’t roll up a window and drive in a straight line on the freeway, then you shouldn’t have a driver’s license.
Yikes. So according to you, I can know if I’m going to be hot or cold at any given time and just need to plan for it. Weird, stupid, false. 1) the power needed to roll a window up/down is practically nil and 2) distractions happen, stop being so goddamned high and mighty. This is a dumbass argument that has nothing to do with people texting or any of this other shit you’re trying to equate to it.
The extraction and refining of the copper ore needed for the motor, which has brushes (so a finite lifespan) but is also sealed without any way to replace those brushes (not to mention the hassle of getting into the door . I don’t think I’ve ever done it, on dozens and dozens of doors, without breaking clips), so they’re manufactured essentially as a throw away item, the opposite of sustainability.
Manual windows are easy, take no thought and if the window falls off track, you just get into the door and bend the track back into shape. Anyone can do it. You just got to open it up, roll it up and down a couple times to understand how it works and literally anyone can figure out their fix then. And at a cost of a few door clips, not an EXTREMELY overpriced $100+ for a 12v motor.
I don’t like buying guaranteed points of failure in my purchases when I don’t have too, that’s all I’m saying.
So say it to the guy who is arguing that? I’ve had two responses to my post act like I’m arguing for power windows when I’m aruing against them. I don’t understand why I’m getting downvoted while I have two people who have been upvoted who fucking agree with me.
I’m backing you up homie, not arguing with you. You’ve got my upvotes
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This is a stupid take. You’re telling me that you expect car manufacturers incorporate manufacturing techniques that apply to your small niche that is also demonstrably less safe? And for what, “Privacy” reasons?
With a button you just press it to close the windows for a short stint of faster driving where having the windows down is uncomfortable. With a flange you’d probably be more inclined to leave them open because of the effort required to close them while driving. I think having your windows open even for a few short drives leads to more energy usage by increased drag than the window servo uses in the whole cars’ lifetime. So I don’t think it is any more environmentally friendly.
I’m sure [email protected] would be happy to welcome you if you decided to go with buses.
That community completely ignores reality for
millionsbillions of people that absolutely need a car to live a life in the thousands of cities that don’t have adequate public transportation and 100% of the rural areas in the world.I don’t think they ignore it, they’re just not happy about it.
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Multiple billions no. There’s 1.4 billion cars after a casual google, and considering how many people have cars as a convenience or multiple cars I think it might be closer to a single billion people need cars.
I miss my old 1999 Grand Marquis. Plenty of power, stupid easy to work on, rode like a dream, no tech bullshit. Fuel mileage was pretty crappy (owing to the V8 and curb weight) but it was a solid car. I largely drive cars until the die (did with that one too) and am thinking forward I may do the same and try to find older vehicles.
Man I would loooooove to find an old like 95 Regal. Totally a grandpa car, but all the freaking amenities, better cushioning than your couch, leg room, bench seat half the time, a V8 that can’t dump power and you can hold like 5 half racks under the hood if you needed too (tho pls don’t) there’s so much room.
Not a knuckle of blood anywhere to be found.
One thing I love about older cars from Detroit, definitely not the gas mileage but I can keep my spare fluids in the engine compartment lol
That’s kinda extreme lol but I hope that companies start selling non smart cars. I don’t want my car to be smart , I want my car to take me to point A and B , and be able to fix it myself.
I’ll probably just fix up my GS500 and run that until petrol is outlawed. Possibly the last fully mechanical motor vehicle ever sold.
I get what you’re trying to say but gas engines are inherently electrical. That’s how they generate the spark.
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My city doesn’t even have bus fare. It’s not like they’re grabbing my biometrics when I step in. They’re not trying to identify me when I walk on.
You just walk on, wait, then walk off.
It may not be the most private way of transport but it’s not actively collecting data on you, which is what this is about.
EDIT: Further, it’s just easier for a car to collect data on it’s owner. When you buy a car, you get a Title which registers the Vehicle Identification Number to the owners name. Then, when you’re driving, because you’re in public you’re required to have your Drivers License, Registration, Insurance, a License Plate and up-to-date Tabs all very specific identifiers that identify both the driver and the car. The cars sensors only have to identify the owner, to whom it is already registered, and so they know the data they’re collecting is from one person/one family.
I’ve seen my cities bus budget. They have cameras on the bus for the protection of drivers but can barely afford them. They’re definitely not dumping money into shit like facial recognition. I don’t even need an ID to ride the bus. I can walk on with empty pockets and no one is gonna tell me I can’t ride the bus without ID. If you drive without your license, you can get it taken away.
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Good points, and I’m sorry to hear that’s happening in your area man.
If your city doesn’t already do this, they will soon.
I mean… I just explained why my city did away with fares entirely, so I don’t know about that.
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Which is absolutely a fair take, it’s definitely happening in places, just thankfully not everywhere. Hopefully talking about it can lead more people to get involved in local politics and try to fight implementation of such systems. Thanks for informing me.
you live in utopia? (or luxemburg?)
May I ask which city (or at least country)? The no bus fares part is intriguing :)
US, Northwest. The fares only accounted for about 2% of the total budget for transit, and the city was looking into upgrading their fare-collector devices because the ones they had were getting really old and starting to fail. After they did the math, they realized it would cost them more to get the new fare-collectors bought and installed than it would to… just get rid of the fare collectors altogether. It was simply going to cost so much money that they would have had to increase fares to pay for it, and so they just said “screw it” and dropped fares entirely.
Amazing
Neither does just existing in public?
That’s not really the point with the car privacy issues.
The Mozilla report in case some readers missed it: https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy/
People are starting to comment on the topic and take notice? That is great to hear. It is not often that this happens when such a study is released. It might be that ordinary people who lack the knowledge on the subject may be able to comprehend the concerns regarding privacy in cars more readily than in other areas. Whatever the case is, I’m happy the discussion is finally happening.
Huge props to Mozilla on this one - their article is clear and thorough. A lot of the studies are very vague, limited in scope, or way too technical, which makes them hard to share and discuss broadly.
That is true and might be the reason the study is successful at raising public awareness about the topic.
I think it also has a little bit of shock factor. Everyone expects Google to be spying on you, so nobody is surprised when a report is released about a Google Home speaker being bad for privacy. When you’re buying the speaker, you’re making an active choice to trade privacy for convenience.
But the average person probably doesn’t expect that from their vehicle. I think lots of people are shocked to find out how much info their car has been collecting about them. Especially since cars aren’t usually considered a luxury in the US. To make the same comparison, a smart speaker is a luxury. You can opt out of the data collection by refusing to purchase one. You can do without it. But in most of the US, a car is a necessity, and this means that you can’t opt out of the data collection because you need a car to survive.
Also, while Google collecting data on you means they use it for advertising, your vehicle collecting driving data on you absolutely can and will be eventually used for insurance coverage. Insurance companies are absolutely salivating at being able to prove people’s bad driving habits with data and use those as ways to increase the cost of their coverage.
Not loving the idea of being spied on by the insurance company dickbags just so they can look for any amount of “bad driving” as an excuse to pump up my rates.
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I’m waiting for Elon to release a dumb tweet (xeet?) about how tesla has zero data collection
X-cretion
Are those sort of lies from a company’s CEO punishable by fine or perhaps prison, or is flat-out lying about your company in a public statement totally cool, totally legal nowadays?
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I’m not sure how much it matters that people are taking notice. If all cars are doing it, what can we do? It’s not like people can’t buy cars anymore and it’s not like individual people can pay off politicians to make it illegal like large corporations can to make it legal.
The more people who notice, the more who care. The more who care, the more capital to be gained by proposing and / or supporting regulation.
We won’t get free healthcare (in the states) or housing, but this is something trivial enough that I could see politicians making a play.
There are a few options I guess. If enough people notice then there may be more money in being the company that respects privacy and just charges more for the car up front.
It might even encourage more people to buy used instead of new.
Or some people might just decide they don’t need a car.Caring is the first step to actively doing something. The more people that know, the more that will care and the more people that will act. Gotta start somewhere.
Hopefully the EU gets pissed about it skirting around GDPR.
Ever since Jeep released their current gen Cherokee and two hackers revealed that they could hack into the entirety of the car by just knowing the phone number of the car’s hotspot, I have avoided new cars like the plague
maybe I’m a little behind the times when it comes to cars, but shouldn’t it be relatively trivial on the community scale to create foss head unit OS’s? are there other components that phone home besides the head unit? most cars have replaceable head units anyway, right? I feel like I must be missing something here
Head units are no longer a seperate component.
Well… No. Head units are pretty much integrated units nowadays. That transition started back in the 2000’s, and pretty much any car after like 2012-2015 is going to have a fully integrated head unit. Unless the FOSS unit is custom made for the car, replacing the head unit would severely impact the car’s functionality. It’s not as easy as just wiring a power and audio cable in, and it hasn’t been for about a decade.
Ironically, I don’t even think that was the reason for making integrated head units. I think auto manufacturers realized that touch screens and PCBs were cheaper to mass produce and install. Analog control systems fell out of favor because they require a team of techs sitting on a manufacturing line wiring them together. But a PCB and touch screen can just be plugged in and screwed in by a single tech.
Exactly. My car is 10-15 years old, and the touchscreen handles the climate control, radio, gps, phone, interior lighting, and ton of ancillary features. I doubt it’s possible to replace the system with anything but an OEM replacement unless you’re a really dedicated hardware hacker.
Exactly. The only reason I still have analog controls in my 10 year old car is because it’s a Toyota; Toyota is infamous for lagging behind other auto manufacturers, because they prize reliability over function. So they’ll only add something to a vehicle once they’re sure it’ll survive a decade of regular use. Back in the 2010’s, they were still refusing to add integrated head units with massive screens, because they weren’t fully time-tested yet. But if you get a current Toyota, you’ll find that enough time has passed for them to have integrated head units.
Feels like any car after around 2000 has an integrated head unit with other controls. Not easy or possible in many cases remove it without impacting the functionality of the car.
Have… you been in a new car in the last 20 years?
How exactly do they collect info other than GPS?
How are people interacting with the “radio” that it’s given so much info?
Are new vehicles required to be connected to phone network to function?
What functionality is lost of not connected.
As a motorist who prefers to drive cheap cars that have a little tech as possible so that there is little to go wrong and what goes wrong I can fix myself I know nothing about the latest gen of cars
Cars are mandated to have a “SIM” (I don’t know how this is implemented, that’s a question for the engineers) inside that can be connected at all times. This was originally meant for faster accident response, and I’m assuming car companies have contracts with the Telecom companies (someone from the engineering/law teams help me here) to transmit data over their networks even when the user’s devices are not connected
And what if the cellular connection “accidentally” breaks and doesn’t get fixed?
Ota updates don’t get to the car. That could be a problem, it could not be a problem.
I meant legally.
If that’s the case then why do cars cry about wanting internet connection for updates?
It may be that the car company doesn’t want to pay more for the cell service than they need to; if they can push the download onto your cell plan it’s cheaper for them.
Thanks for this. I’m not in USA but I had chatgpt summarize my vehicle manufacturers privacy policy. Its wasn’t great, so I sent an email to their privacy inbox. Next, I’ll email my politicians.
Frankly, I can’t believe how many different posts I’ve seen about that article today. Amazing.
There’s no S in IOT
The S in IoT stands for Security
My joke but better
That’s why I’m glad I have an older car that doesn’t have any computer crap in it. I don’t want to have to jailbreak my car for it to be usable.
lol that’s why I don’t want a modern car. aside from the sensors in the engine, there’s no others, so I’m not concerned about privacy lol
Guys honestly just buy a kei car like a Honda N-Van and a phone mount. 42 mpg, spacious, tons of cargo capacity, comparatively minuscule carbon footprint, and a basic 2din radio.
