Surveillance without your knowledge - the "black box" in your car

For those of you with newer vehicles--the ones that an EMP will fry like an egg, you probably didn't know that you have a little stow-away that keeps track of you. Now, the article say things like "when you slam on the brakes" or "when the airbags deploy." But, some newer cars are boasting that they are actual moving hot-spots. You get in your car and your phone/tablet will basically have Wi-Fi access.

Tinfoil hat theory
Now, given you didn't choose to have this little black-box stowaway installed like you did for your leather seats, I don't see it as too far of a stretch for this same information to be expanded to collect such attributes as GPS, speed, voice keywords, etc. not just when there's an accident, but, at all times without your knowledge when the infrastructure is set up that *most* cars are connected to the Interweb.

(No need to thump your chest to tell us what a visionary you are to be driving a mid-70's Powerwagon--we've read the Rawles too. This post is a PSA for those that don't know.)
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Find out if your car is being tracked | Page 2 | Komando.com

Harris Technical has compiled a list stretching back to 1994 so you can find out at a glance. It's got just about every make and model of car you can imagine made during 1994 through 2014. The list is attached or here.

Was your car on the list? If your car does have an EDR, you need to know a few things. For example, who would have the rights to look at the black box's data in the event of a crash? Car manufacturers want access because they want to know what's exactly going on with your car if it crashes. Insurance companies want the same thing, but they're also looking to figure out who's to blame if a car does happen to crash.

So many people want to get their hands on your black box's data, in fact, that there are 15 states that have addressed who actually has the rights to your data. The rules and regulations vary on a state-by-state basis, but you can find a list of the states and their rules on this site.

Want more information on the privacy pitfalls of EDRs? I wrote a whole tip about it here.

 

Really great post Cato and great info.. Thank you

 

And keep in mind that the list includes vehicles with minimal recording along with omitting vehicles that cover nearly everything...just bear that in mind.

None the less, a good reminder that "they" could be watching...

 

Doubting my 95 Bronco is a wifi hotspot. Didn't really even have much of an internet back then. Bet my wife's Volvo is really scared of my wife's driving though. Heheh

 

Info retrievable from sensors since 2001 on most euro cars , logging data from 2005 , 2009 to date , time ,position , speed, RTI/GPS location , till 2012/14 many now will link in with coffee shops etc that offer WiFi and send / retrieve their statics .The amount of depth that factory scanners with Admin privileges get to see is amazing .

The list posted is not accurate in two car lines , since I have knowledge of this on Euro high end cars, Siemens /Bosch / VDO etc.

 

Hang on, I actually requested the Victoria's secret catalog!

 

Slowpoke...I requested the models

 

Yes all top end euros ,& top end ford since they once owned Volvo for there advanced tech info . The rest I can't comment on but being in this tech field , I can say , Merc,Volvo,BMW,Audi Porch,and since Ive seen the ford platform P3 , them also.
Not what I want in a car . not saying I want a model T , but I wnt to be able to adjust the defrost / radio / window all with keeping my eyes on the road and no BS distractions of (i'll type out all the acronyms) Blind spot indication , lane drifting warning , approach advancement collision avoidance and a bunch more , Constant bleaping of buzzers & blinking lights . F***,,, Learn how to drive & stay off your phone DRIVE!

And if you didn't already know ,RED means STOP so if you see one on your dash , Think of the colour it is !!

Sloth

 

Uh I may be missing something but that list is compiled for vehicles with event data recorders. They only log data after a loggable event occurs, ie an accident. That's not positional tracking as in gps location. Though some of them may also include location data when an event is logged. For the older vehicles location tracking is less probable. Newer vehicles with OnStar, however, are definitely location trackable. Most definitely need to have a full spec sheet on the EDR in any vehicle you might have or are looking to purchase to determine which are capable of sending data and which cannot.

Newer vehicles that offer wi-fi connectivity do present a tracking problem, however. They most assuredly have the ability to forward location data. If the day comes when I have to bite the bullet and acquire a newish automobile I will be doing my homework and will only purchase one that can be completely silenced.

 

True of any broadcast signal, but not RF chips, which will still reveal your passing any chip readers, such as I-pass.

 

Yes for now that will work. Just speculating, but I am pretty sure that in the future manufacturers will attempt to require connection to their network or the vehicle will not operate at all. Won't be too hard for them to lobby that kind of legislation.

kellory brings up a great point, RFID can be energized and read from an exterior source making moot any alterations we make to our own vehicles unless we are able to completely remove any RFID marker. And I still strongly believe that once the tech is fully fleshed out they will continue to use their administrative power to dictate how we travel in the future as they do in the present.

 

I fully expect license plates to be RF chipped. And it will be billed as "to assist law enforcement, by automatically running plates during a traffic stop. For greater officer safety, and accuracy in identification."