Hi all, just finished reading this article How Tracking and Technology in Cars Is Being Weaponized by Abusive Partners - The New York Times and was left wondering if my 2017 Prius Prime has the capability mentioned in the story - independent cellphone network connectivity, i.e independent from app access through one's cell phone. My GPS antenna (and system) has been inop. since I bought the car. The article also mentioned that the woman paid 400.00 to have the system disabled to escape a stalker. Any ideas about what would take four hours labor to accomplish this? Happy New Year to everyone!
It is obvious that Toyota knows when and where we have travelled. I can see the map on my Toyota app. I'm not worried about abortion clinics (at age 84) but Toyota needs to be restricted from giving our travel info to anyone other than the registered owner!
If it has the buttons on the ceiling for the Remote Connect features, then yes, it has what amounts to its own built in cell phone which can be turned on and off remotely. You are supposed to pay a subscription fee to have it turned on for your use, however Toyota can use it as they choose if they care to. People forget that the American GPS system does not require you to emit anything. You just need to be able to see some satellites. The first step to mastering a system is to understand that system. If you do work it out in any detail please consider posting what you find for the rest of us. The various telecommunication abilities of the car are obscure, but they are not actually secret, just not widely publicized.
From what I've read here, in the US, they give the impression they can't once it's shut off. If you do ask for it to be shut off (which they do remotely), and you have red light up on the ceiling, it's a dealer visit to re-enable it. That would be consistent with the system being properly disabled - although of course they could be faking it.
gm sends me a (useless) report every month on my bolt from computer stats. battery health, tyres pressure, other systems. i wonder what else they are tracking, and i don't have any paid monthly services.
Thank you, Jim, I have neither installed the app nor do I connect my cell phone via Bluetooth to the car because I don't use my phone while I drive. What you are suggesting requires regulations, which aren't too popular these days.
Teslas being banned in some places in China on the grounds that they are mobile spy stations. Not sure what they think about Japanese vehicles. Tesla cars face more entry bans in China as 'security concerns' accelerate - Nikkei Asia Biden administration concerned that Chinese cars will serve as mobile spy platforms in the US. Everything he describes is the same as what we have here now. The only difference is that someone else would be doing it instead of us. Statement from President Biden on Addressing National Security Risks to the U.S. Auto Industry | The White House
It's not about the 4 hours; it's about knowing which fuse(s) to pull and what wire(s) to disconnect and ensuring that nothing else in the car is effected (ie. accidentally disabling safety features). There's also an article about former Tesla owners getting notifications from their old wrecked/scrapped cars from eastern Europe. Apparently they get sold for scrap, get shipped over there, refurbished and given a second life there. Unfortunately, the previous owner's information was never wiped-out of the cars' memory and Tesla won't send a clear code to remove the former customer's data. IMHO; Biden admin., concern about Chinese car is just mirroring what China is doing to US car manufacturers. Cold War is alive and well...
These privacy issues are a thing I've grow up with, so my perspective is not a typical one and I define capabilities differently than most anyone else. Things I believe, coincidentally don't make much sense others I've met. And many of my concerns are persona non grata as topics for discussion anyways, even within family circles. Anyone that's ever written a bash script or seen the Jason Borne series on TV and doesn't dismiss it entirely, at least has a clue as to what they have "in there". Add a few more things that are in most cases OUT of the public eyes or conscientiousness, like the projected growth of data centers, etc, etc, etc.... and it can be quite the journey into some darkly lit areas. In this information age (haven't heard that one in a while), what do you (personally) believe "they" have access to? And beyond that what do you (personally) believe "they'll" have access to tomorrow? extra points if you're familiar with the acronyms ML, VR, AR, XR, ai.
How about this one, Jim Looks like GM cars are mobile spy stations as well. Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies - The New York Times
People Use GPS 'Jammers' to Stop Tracking of Their Cars Steve Lehto reports that people in Finland have started using GPS jammers to force their car to respect their privacy. He predicts that Americans will follow.
