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This is Why I Don’t Connect My Phone to Vehicles

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smart-phone-jeep

This year, 2020, it is estimated that 75 percent of new vehicles sold globally can be linked to the internet. I’ve discussed this issue before, but I thought this article https://www.dailywire.com/news/washington-post-hacks-into-chevy-to-show-how-much-cars-are-spying-on-owners does a good, short summation of how much data is downloaded by new vehicles when phones are connected to them (the full WP article is here).

Of course, even if you don’t pair your phone, your new vehicle still provides a variety of metrics to automakers. Why do automakers want that data? For a wide range of reasons, as this report points out: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carmakers-are-collecting-your-data-and-selling-it/ . Though automakers will shout “safety and convenience” every time when cornered on the topic, it seems much more about increasing revenue outside of vehicle sales.

Worse, some new vehicles are arriving to showrooms equipped with cameras to monitor driver behavior, such as warning drivers when they appear to be distracted or monitoring their eye-lids to detect fatigue: https://www.consumerreports.org/automotive-technology/who-owns-the-data-your-car-collects/

My personal belief is that, in the end, it will become very difficult to avoid being monitored by both corporations and the government, the former possibly being even more insidious and impactful than the latter. Perhaps the best hope for anonymity is not to try to escape it, but try to make it worthless by flooding it with disinformation (for example, a disinformation app that produces false location geo tags). A simple example of this was how Miami police were falsely reporting their positions to Waze to prevent drivers from knowing their true locations.

Good luck out there in 2020!

 

11 Comments on “This is Why I Don’t Connect My Phone to Vehicles

  1. CraigInPA

    It seems that the obvious solution is to drive a vehicle which does not include the ability to connect the car to the phone, such as an original Willy’s vehicle…

  2. Mike

    Glad to know Id never spend the money to buy a new car. My 1987 Plymouth gets me where I want to go.

  3. JohnfromSC

    On the point of more intelligence embedded into our cars, some people believe how wonderful intelligent autonomous driving vehicles will be ( and for the handicapped it may be so). I view it as the greatest potential threat to our personal freedom as we know it.

    The automobile gave mankind the first real freedom in the history, to go anywhere we want when we want and associate with whomever we want. We’ve enjoyed this freedom for over a hundred years now and take it for granted.

    There is no question in my mind that the government will want a link to your autonomous vehicle and the ability to override your control “in the name of safety”, for example to pull your car over for an ambulance. Then next, pull you over for a traffic violation. This will morph to the point where you are in your car going to a store and suddenly you are diverted to the local police station for interrogation because someone accused you (falsely) of making some anti-something comment. Soon, you won’t be permitted to go on a trip to visit family because you have already used up your alotted environmental impact credits.

    There is a reason that the Chinese government is so intent on going electric and autonomous and investing so heavily. It isn’t for the environment. It is ultimate control of where people are and when and whom they can associate with.

    Sorry for this downer, but the more people who see this threat the better the chance of defending against it. As I believe Ben Franklin said, the best way to steal someone’s freedom is by taking it a little bit at a time.

  4. Chuck

    Just think……
    The “government” decides despite the disaster or epidemic that is in progress it would be better for you to stay where you are. Easy solution for enforcement: They brick everyone’s cars.
    Just think….
    You have a outstanding parking ticket or haven’t paid your tags or let your insurance lapse? The DMV bricks your car.
    Just think…….
    Your car reports itself to the air quality control board. You don’t get it fixed it what they consider a timely manner, they brick your car.
    Just think……
    You take a loan out to buy a car and get behind on the payments, they brick your car.

    It’s not coming in 2020 but it’s coming!

  5. SE Pennsylvania Steve

    Dave, I don’t care if they start putting cameras to monitor me in new cars, I will NOT wear pants while I drive!!! LOL

  6. David Eilers Post author

    Steve: To Much Information 🙂

    Chuck & John: Yep, yep, and yep … Those are all things that concern me, hence the reason for posting this topic. I also do not like how difficult it is to disconnect the wireless antenna. Heck, there is not even an off button on the radio. All that aside, I have really enjoyed the Grand Cherokees we’ve owned (2012, then 2016). They have been great for us.

    – Dave

  7. Bingo

    Yep! Slippery slopes.These liberal, Chicago Politicrooks will tell ya that it’ll stop drive-bye shootings, car- jacks, get-away drivers, etc. To use the analogy above, they already have a brick on my paycheck to feed all those poor drivers, wutt growed up w/o daddies! Sociology spanks me again!

  8. JohnfromSC

    Thanks Dave. We also have as ’14 Grand cherokee that has been a good car (120K so far on the odo). But I bought a ’13 Wrangler Sahara 4sp new and hated it. Kept it for only 18 months. Took 2x as long to clean as a normal car with all the nooks and crannies. And the bolts started rusting the first winter. Simply not a utilitarian vehicle anymore IMO.The only way I could see buying one now is get a bare bones model and take it to one of the off road custom shops that put aftermarket fenders, rhinoliner half way up the sides and a good off road suspension package. But now the base 2dr Wrangler is almost 30K. Crazy money for a bare bones Jeep.

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