this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2024
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Context:

I don't want the car reporting to insurance hard breaks and such. But frankly I just find these things creepy and I just want a base model car.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

financially aim for minimal depreciation. typically thats buying a 3 year old car and selling it when its 6 or 7. try to find total cost of ownership data to minimize repair costs.

practically find one that suits your needs.

[–] WhyJiffie 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Don't forget that even if you can disable its network connection (which is still an important step to avoid remote control shenanigans), the data collection may still continue, and if that's the case the make's diagnostic software will forward it to the cloud the next time your car is at service. I'm afraid that can't be avoided.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

There are individual car repair shops. Well if you trust them to not sell the data, a trust that can be betrayed at any time.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 hours ago

Check make/models online to see if there's a fuse you can pull that powers the telemetry computer. Sometimes the telemetry is part of a combined computer unit. Sometimes it's an isolated computer unit.

[–] TheOSINTguy 14 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I only saw a few people saying this, but buy a used car from anywtime-2012 max.

Make sure that car is in good shape, has been up to date on oil changes and was well taken care of. And if you wants some newer car features, adding in a newer stereo could do the trick.

But get used to learning how to fix your car because less cars will be made that meet your requirements. Meaning that if you don't to sacrifice privacy for a new car when yours breaks down, be ready to fix it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

I have a 2014 car and it's dumb as hell.

[–] skulblaka 2 points 7 hours ago

Depends on the car. A Toyota? Yeah, probably. BMW is a no go. So are "luxury" side brands like Lexus.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 13 hours ago

The effort needed to neuter surveillance equipment in modern cars without compromising functionality is comparable to the effort of sprucing up an older car. Possibly biased from driving and maintaining a decades-old car. Is there a particular reason you prefer a modern car?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

I thought it said POTATOOOOOOOOOO

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

All new cars that I know of come with either online trackers or offline trackers. Some are part of a safety system (like the one automatically dialing the emergency number if you crash), others are part of the infotainment system (live traffic updates, map updates), and then there's the app stuff. A new car carries with it one or more cell phones and anything cellular can easily be tracked (which is even worse if you live in a country where carriers sell live location data to bounty hunters, like the USA).

If you know what you're doing, you can probably take out all the transmitters so you can't be followed live. Data will be stored on computers inside the car, but as long as it doesn't get stolen or sold that data is safe inside. Might void your warranty and pop up a check engine light, though. You should also be wary of disrupting any internal antennae, like the ones for reading pressure sensors and other digital communication inside the vehicle. You may disrupt something and crash your car, and if you survive your insurance will fight tooth and nail not to cover your medical expenses.

If you don't know much about cars or don't want to go hunting for the exact right transmitters, buy an older car.

However, with how many dashcams and traffic cams are installed alongside the road these days, I don't think it even matters much what you do to the car anymore.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

I'd recommend a 2009 Honda Civic. Mine has held up really well and is nice and dumb

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago

Buy a renault 12

[–] [email protected] 16 points 16 hours ago

There's no way you're "covering up" an antenna. Frequently the antenna is the body of the car itself.

Look up the fuse box layout of the car model you're interested in to check if the communication system is on a separate fuse that you can pull without disabling anything else useful.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 17 hours ago

Maintaining privacy in a (new) car might be difficult. Maybe by emitting white noise with an external bluetooth speaker so that possible microphones can't pick up voices easily?

The problem with privacy in a new car is that there is nothing much one can do about it. Even if it were possible by altering the cars' software (think of something like the equivalent of a browser extension for your car), this might pose a problem in case of an accident (the insurance will try to refuse compensation, because the cars' software has been altered and thus, the car is deemed to be not road safe).

One thing to aviod this problem would be to buy an older, used car. With that, there wouldn't be any issues regarding privacy, but mainaining the car might be more expensive, as older cars often have worse emission standards, which can result in higher taxes, depending on where you are located. Also, older cars might have a worse fuel effiency than new cars, depending on the size, weight and engine power of the car. An old economic compact car might have the same fuel efficiency as the latest doomsday street tank.

My personal advice: a used compact car, not older than five years (the older the car, the more repairs might come up, also there is a chance that a car this age already has a USB port for connecting a thumb drive or phone equipped with music), but with rear doors. Having two additional doors is an underrated feature that not only comes in handy when you pick up some friends, but they also serve as additional loading hatches that are accessible from both sides of the car.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think you can really maintain privacy.

Sure, maybe you can disable some antennas to stop your location from being broadcast, but there are cameras in ever major road, so you cant get far without being spotted by a camera. Cars can also store data locally, then if you take your to the dealership, they will access the data. So you'd have to find an individual car mechanic that doesn't read this data, and at anytime, they can betray your trust. Not to mention, your phone is kinda already tracking you, so you'd have to turn that off as well, even dumbphones still have cellular triangulation and has even worse security. And whenever you need to use your phone, the carrier will know where you are.

So I think in the modern world with all these cameras, you kinda have to accept that you ain't gonna get much privacy.

Or the alterative is to not have a phone on you when you travel, take public transport, cover your face, etc.

If you want privacy, you'll have to sacrifice convienience.

[–] sbv 3 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

your phone is kinda already tracking you

Just a touch.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 14 hours ago

xD

Hail the NSA Overlords lolol

[–] [email protected] 1 points 12 hours ago

Have you heard about our lord and saviour, SailfishOS?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

I always love when people ask for "how can i do X without getting tracked" while lugging a portable tracking device that listens to you everywhere you go

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Everybody nowadays knows you leave the phone at home to be off grid, right... right?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

Lol look at Jan 6 idiots, literally posting on social media.

Well too bad they're getting pardoned on Jan 20.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago

Find where the cellular antenna is, and cover it with a rudimentary faraday cage.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago

Is there a way to disable the cellular antenna? Vehicle have to be prepared for dead spots. Maybe yours is always in a dead spot.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (2 children)

Lots of stuff here but for something useful.

Get a radio /cellular disruptor /signal jammer you plug in the cigg outlet. Wont be able to listen to radio or use your phone.

Old car if possible.

If not a basic Dacia is the least bad of the new ones.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

So commit a felony where you get thrown in prison with no privacy at all. Great idea.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Signal jammers are trackable. If you drive the same routes, the disruption is an easy pattern.

Also it causes other issues (like with medical vehicles/first responders) and is a federal crime. But whatever.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 hours ago

So is anythiing if you know the pattern.

Nah

Conditioned much?