how to disable the DCM/Telematics unit in the car

To confirm, again, some of us have ZERO use for the DCM and the services it enables. As such, removing/disabling it is not an extreme solution. And why are you so hung up on data collection? Why are you ignoring all the other benefits of disabling it that I've listed and given examples of? You have a very myopic view of the situation. You also can't just unplug the antennas because it has enough trace wiring inside it that even though the transmit range becomes minimal with termination plugs installed, it can and will transmit.

Simpler solution for disabling the DCM telematics - Silencing Antennas | Page 5 | Tacoma World

There is literally no downside to the community investigating this AND tinkering with it. You won't convince me that ANY company, especially one as large as Toyota, will never mess up when it comes to my privacy or security. Apology and Notice Concerning Newly Discovered Potential Data Leakage of Customer Information Due to Cloud Settings | Corporate | Global Newsroom | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website oops. Toyota warns customers of data breach exposing personal, financial info oops again. To sit there and think that Toyota will NEVER again be victim of a security breach or a lapse in judgement where they decide to collect information despite you opting out, is just dumb. And if you really do believe that could never happen then there's just no helping you.

Simpler solution for disabling the DCM telematics - Silencing Antennas | Page 5 | Tacoma World

Because even with the antennas disconnected and dummy plugs inserted which should absorb all signal, apparently it can still reach out.

See the link I posted to the guy in this same post.

 

No need for an additional subscription. Just use Apple Car Play or Android CarPayand the appropriate phone applications.

 

Unless they mean they want to do in car wifi or hotspot repeating? I think the car can become a hotspot on its 4G connection. At least, I have the option to enable it in my car and it seems to work so long as I'm not using wireless carplay (which uses wifi to connect)

For my part, this kind of mod would only be helpful or preferred if at some point in the future, all the features are discontinued but the module somehow pulls a draw on the battery like that old subaru link noted, searching for a signal that will never exist. Until then, and assuming Toyota doesn't simply offer an update to disable it entirely once its too old, I'm fine with the features it enables. The SOS button for example, is actually a nice safety feature and idea, which I am sure requires the DCM and remote connection stuff to work.

 

Toyota is a member / partner of the World Economic Forum, that should be enough to caution you.
If you are not familiar with the WEF I suggest you investigate...
https://www.weforum.org/organizations/toyota-motor-corporation/

 

Thank you, I'll try that today.

 

Hey, just joined. So I don't own a Prius- not yet anyway. I run an early 2000s car and while that gets me around just fine, the thing is really quite the gas guzzler and I really do like the look and milage of the Gen 5s. It's a damn good looking car and Priuses seem well regarded for their reliability to boot. I road tripped halfway across the country in a rental '24 KIA Soul and man...some of the now basic/standard newer features like adaptive cruise control and even smaller things like the engine idle not wasting a bunch of gas are so nice. Really want to get a '24 or '25 Prius LE in a few years once those "new car" prices drop a bit and whatever issues they might have become more well known. What I'm not okay with is how creepy and invasive modern cars are. So essentially that's why I ended up here, I wanted to find out how much you can actually disable/work around that.

Before anyone tries to be pedantic about modern smart devices or whatever... I run a Garmin in my car, my phone is GrapheneOS, and I made the full switch to Linux back in 2019 after Microsoft bricked my PC twice with their forced updates. I need to be very clear that I am not a paranoid conspiracy theorist, I'm just fed up with all these stupid companies thinking they have a right to datamine every minute detail of everyone's lives for profit. It's creepy, invades our rights, and we're all worse off for it. I'm no stranger to tinkering around with tech to make things work the way I want, just...not with cars. So yeah. I heard the 2017-2020 era models are easier but man I'm sorry they are just ugly as sin.

I'll be following along with whatever developments happen, so that hopefully by the time I do get my Prius I know exactly what to do. Side note, one of the things I love about modifying the operating systems on my phone and PC is just how much more efficient they are power and resource-wise without all the extra unnecessary crap that I didn't even want in the first place. Hopefully something similar can eventually happen here? I would love for this to be the vehicle I basically just run into the ground.

 

There is some question here on what the car does or does not transmit under various conditions. I have a first-hand observation:

First, my current car is not a Prius, it is an Avalon. Under the sheet metal, it is very like a Prius. I am not signed up for any tele-services and the Sirius XM and emergency assistance subscriptions have long since run out. I have not specifically contacted Toyota to ask them to turn anything on or off. Whatever it is doing I assume is their standard for all Toyotas.

If I am using the GPS guidance to take me somewhere the car will announce that there are traffic delays on the road ahead a few minute before we get to them. This is not something the car can figure out for itself, it has no way to see such a thing. This tells me that it is in contact with something - I don't know who or what- and that it is checking traffic conditions in real time. This mean it is telling something where it is and what it is doing.

I don't mind that it is watching out for me but I do mind that something is going on without my permission and outside of my knowledge and control.

 

You would be surprised what is transmitted by your car. 5G doesn't make much difference for cell phones but a "Modern Car" can transmit around 1/2 a Terabyte per hour, so I have heard. Vehicle Telemetry information such as all the controls and performance information, location, conversation from the microphone in the car and camera data. There is a video camera facing you on the steering column. Toyota says it can retain the data for from 2 - 15 years, can let third parties handle it, including in other countries where privacy laws may not be the same and give it to Law Enforcement. Read the Privacy policy for Toyota. It especially applies if you use the Toyota APP.

 

All of Toyota's tracking features can be turned off by the car owner, including safety connect and service connect.
https://support.toyota.com/s/article/Can-I-optout-of-Toyot-10235?language=en_US
https://support.toyota.com/s/article/How-can-I-delete-my-T-10200?language=en_US

Toyota doesn't trick their customers like GM was recently found to be doing. Toyota's insurance reporting is an entirely separate service and is opt-in, not opt-out.

The privacy policy document explains which services include tracking, all can be disabled.

Privacy and protection

 

You're the same kind of smooth brain who thinks gun free zones stops guns. "hey guys, don't worry, there's a sign that says gun free zone so no one has to worry about getting shot there"

No one who is interested in disabling/removing the DCM cares what people like you have to say because car manufacturers again and again have shown themselves to be untrustworthy. Ooops! Toyota emissions scandal: Toyota quality scandal widens as 10 models found to have rigged data I guess Toyota sometimes does shady things if they think they can get away with it.

Oh there's a privacy policy, and things are opt-in? Well hot damn, that just solves everything! If only those other car manufacturers had such things... What difference does any of that make if behind the scenes they're quietly collecting and selling data?

To reiterate for the slow kids like you... some of us don't use any of the remote service features. As such, disabling or removing the DCM does not affect us or our usage of the vehicle in the slightest. In fact disabling/removing it only generates positive outcomes for us.

The real question is why do you care enough to try to talk anyone out of it or convince people that Toyota is most trustable good boy corporation? Or are you just mad that you're not motivated enough to do anything about the situation in your own car so if less people deviate from the norm then you are reaffirmed in your delusion that your car data is never being secretly collected and sold?

 

How's that working for you? Being an AH? Making you a lot of friends? lol

Tinfoil hat types will never be satisfied. Everything is a conspiracy, they're all out to get you...

Tarring Toyota with the sins of GM? Really?

All we have to go on is each firm's actual behavior.

If you have some proof, any proof of Toyota continuing to collect customer data after the customer has fully opted out, then please, share it, and I'll take up the pitchforks with you.

Until then, you're 'old man yells at clouds'.

 

Wut? He seems nice…

 

I'm surprised nobody linked to the Privacy Nightmare on Wheels report published by Mozilla last year.

Here's what they found on Toyota:

* Toyota | Privacy & security guide | Mozilla Foundation

My understanding is that some of these cars will store the data locally, even if you airgap them by removing their antennas. Then the data will get uploaded to the car manufacture and sold to data brokers when the mechanic connects to the car's computer during a maintenance visit.

Has anyone done an audit of the Prius data that's transmitted both over wireless radio and to the mechanic when they plug into the computer? Are there any publicly-available guides on how to neuter these systems? Or at least how to wipe the sensitive data when you arrive to your mechanic's parking lot? Is just unplugging the accessory battery for 30 seconds good enough?

 

My advice, never take your car to a mechanic. I do my own mechanical work on my car. Im sure it does get stored in the black box, but as long as it stays there i dont care. I wonder if its possible to pull the black box out and disconnecting all the DCM connections along with the fuses.

For now the easiest thing would be to just pull out the fuse and see how the car responds.

 

Frankly, they don't seem to have found much of anything bad about Toyota, especially as compared to other car makers.

Most of what they describe relates to opt-in features. Their primary concern is the potential of an illicit data breach, not abuse by Toyota or their partners.

They don't specify the features they dislike, but one of them is clearly Drive Pulse Score. It is easily opted out of within the app. The insurance reporting is an entirely separate install and is opt-in.

Yes. Toyota allows owners to fully opt out of information sharing, the method is detailed on their site. But some of the car's features require wireless connectivity, so fully opting out will necessarily disable those. The Safety Connect Service (SOS) button is among those.

There is also the event data recorder (black box). Its capabilities are described in the owner's manual. Most cars now have them, but the data they contain is protected by US federal law.

 

Thanks soft_r I will try to look and see if I can explore more of this system. You got me interested. I think we should start with listening in on the CANBUS in our vehicle first. I have the 4th generation Prius Prime.

The most interesting telemetry that we all know for sure get stored in our vehicle is the one that is displayed on our screen. That is the MPG history and it includes a end of drive report. You know the one where it scores us on our acceleration, cruising, braking, and then overall driving score. And least I forget climate setting.

I never get the max score. Only average 60 to 70. I think it's due to my climate setting. And it could be reduced due to how I load my car with drag and non OEM wheels.

For sure they record that in our vehicles and for sure the vehicle had 4G telemetry data. I used the mobile app and saw my score compared to others online. So the data is there. Along with any other goodies? I don't know.

But if I was an insurance company. I would be very tempted at obtaining that driving telemetry score. The acceleration, top speed, cruising, and braking. That is as good as gold.

data gold.

 

FYI this is how it looks in the app in Europe. That will not help against any dataleaks or hacks though.
But as we recently learned anyway you can easily buy datasets with millions of movement profiles including those from people working for "sensitive agencies" (their movement data suddenly stops before entering the agency as they have to give up their privat phones)