Big Brother is Watching

[SuiteSuccess]

2016 bought a new Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel.  Used to get monthly report on everything related to vehicle, mileage, tire pressures etc. for free during warranty period.  Could have continued that for a fee but declined (I keep up with maintenance).  Now the dealer I use for services has paid for a CarFax report doing the same thing monthly without my consent.  It will expire in four months if I don’t register.  Got my first report and it gives mileage, tire pressures, service due etc. Pretty comparable to original report I got.  Nice report but got me thinking.  Somehow my truck is broadcasting this data to satellite and it’s being distributed to third parties without my consent.  I know GPS data broadcast from phones but now from our vehicles?  I could be tracked without my knowledge by anyone or any agency.  Any way to shut this transmission down at the vehicle?

Edited May 15, 2020 by SuiteSuccess

[Ray,IN]

For GM vehicles, just pull the ONSTAR fuse.

 Uconnect is an entirely different system. It controls much more than contacting the mfgr and making calls.

Edited May 15, 2020 by Ray,IN

[SuiteSuccess]

10 minutes ago, Ray,IN said:

For GM vehicles, just pull the ONSTAR fuse. Perhaps your truck has a Uconnect system, which performs basically the same functions.

EDIT: Nope, Uconnect is an entirely different system. It controls much more than contacting the mfgr and making calls.

Uconnect is what I had for three years. It just never dawned on me all the data my truck was transmitting.  Good thing I’m not involved in any clandestine adventures, lol.  Also it just seems like an invasion of privacy if I can be tracked without my consent.

[Ray,IN]

I never gave it a thought either. DW used to have a Lincoln, their system is even more complex than her Jeep GC. Now I'm thinking about it, her Jeep owner manual mentions Uconnect keeps track of many functions. That's how the GPS system updates-via satellite.

[Deezl Smoke]

  First thing to do is dig up all the paperwork that was signed at purchase if you have not already done so. Like so much other stuff today, the fine print is a killer.

 

[alan0043]

Hey Carl,

You could  wrap the truck up in aluminum foil. lol. 😎  In the old days you would make a helmet out of aluminum foil so the aliens could not read your thoughts. 

Be safe my friend,
Al

[SuiteSuccess]

36 minutes ago, alan0043 said:

Hey Carl,

You could  wrap the truck up in aluminum foil. lol. 😎  In the old days you would make a helmet out of aluminum foil so the aliens could not read your thoughts. 

Be safe my friend,
Al

Al,

During this sheltering in my mind wanders more than usual.  I realize our data is spread out across the internet without our consent but I just don’t like that my data is being broadcast in real time by my vehicle and is accessible by a third party and is non-consensual.  Not to get political, but we all know our rights to privacy are being severely tested nowadays.  Remember you’re not paranoid if someone is really out to get you.  BTW I’ve been so bored staying at home I’ve been watching YouTubes on quantum physics.  Pretty fascinating although I don’t understand much of it.

[Randyretired]

We just bought a new Subaru and it has l kinds of stuff including location and data sent to ???.  I am pretty sure the data could tell someone where, how fast and what route at any given moment.  Along with cell phone data I am pretty sure "they" know more about me than I do.  I don't like either!

[Av8r3400]

My '94 Ram doesn't do that...

No new trucks for me.  Ever again.

[alan0043]

Hi Carl,

I have some conspiracy theory stories for you that would be great around a campfire with some adult beverages. That will put a smile on your face.

You were talking about quantum physics. When I was working, the guy that was ahead of the lab across the hall from my lab had his PhD in quantum physics. It was always fun to talk to Gary. Ever so often I would have Gary try to explain some of the laws of quantum physics. I would walk out of his lab with a headache. lol.

Al

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

3 hours ago, alan0043 said:

. Ever so often I would have Gary try to explain some of the laws of quantum physics. I would walk out of his lab with a headache. lol.

Al

The first Law of Quantum Physics is that there isn't any....😁

[lockmup68]

I don't think it is the satellite, it's every-time you get an oil change or service, they use your VIN/license plate to record everything, mileage, what was done, etc., goes into the master record that is shared with all dealers and svc centers (if they participate in that service). Can't remember the name of the network. Same way carfax gets all the info when you run a report: when it was registered by whom, who inspected it, where it was serviced and when.

[Larry Burkett]

About 6 months after we got our 2019 F-450 i got a email that the dealer was providing free Carfax  reporting service at no charge to me. After reading thru it all, and what information they wanted, it got deleted and and unsubscribed. i don't need the world to know my story.

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Larry Burkett

[Pappy Yokum]

OnStar.  I don't subscribe - but fuse is still "active".

GMC SUV was purchased from a dealer about 30 miles away, as that dealer had the vehicle I wanted in stock.  There are *at least*  two dealers closer.

The onboard electronics indicate a tire with low pressure every few months. Very slow leak, loses maybe 1/2  psi per month, until the system display alerts.  Never found the source - in 5 years, but system is correct.  I regularly receive an e-mail to bring it in to the dealer 30 miles away - for air!!

Takes about a week after I air it up & reset display for e-mail to arrive.

Replied to OnStar not interested in "service" from dealer - no help.  So, e-mails are good for a laugh.

.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Pappy Yokum

[SuiteSuccess]

4 hours ago, Pappy Yokum said:

OnStar.  I don't subscribe - but fuse is still "active".

GMC SUV was purchased from a dealer about 30 miles away, as that dealer had the vehicle I wanted in stock.  There are *at least*  two dealers closer.

The onboard electronics indicate a tire with low pressure every few months. Very slow leak, loses maybe 1/2  psi per month, until the system display alerts.  Never found the source - in 5 years, but system is correct.  I regularly receive an e-mail to bring it in to the dealer 30 miles away - for air!!

Takes about a week after I air it up & reset display for e-mail to arrive.

Replied to OnStar not interested in "service" from dealer - no help.  So, e-mails are good for a laugh.

.

Like I said, my CarFax service report appears to be in “real time” I.e. constant monitoring as it told my present mileage and I haven’t been to dealer in at least six months.  I’m sorry, I just don’t like this especially without my consent.

[Ray,IN]

16 hours ago, Pappy Yokum said:

OnStar.  I don't subscribe - but fuse is still "active".

GMC SUV was purchased from a dealer about 30 miles away, as that dealer had the vehicle I wanted in stock.  There are *at least*  two dealers closer.

The onboard electronics indicate a tire with low pressure every few months. Very slow leak, loses maybe 1/2  psi per month, until the system display alerts.  Never found the source - in 5 years, but system is correct.  I regularly receive an e-mail to bring it in to the dealer 30 miles away - for air!!

Takes about a week after I air it up & reset display for e-mail to arrive.

Replied to OnStar not interested in "service" from dealer - no help.  So, e-mails are good for a laugh.

.

For that slow a leak, I might suspect a leak in the rim, sometimes they are very difficult to detect.

[Hot Rod]

I am absolutely sure you consented.  It is somewhere in that mile and a half of fine print on the 37 forms you signed that nobody reads when you bought the truck.

[SuiteSuccess]

19 minutes ago, Hot Rod said:

I am absolutely sure you consented.  It is somewhere in that mile and a half of fine print on the 37 forms you signed that nobody reads when you bought the truck.

Ha, probably correct.  So much for readily visible transparency in commerce.

[beyerjf]

Since we are on the topic of wholesale snooping. I got tired of Google knowing everywhere I went and asking me how I liked the tacos at Enrique's Mexican Food Emporium, even though I just drove past the place. Matters not if your phone is turned off, it still pings towers, and unless you disable the GPS function, tells the whole intelligence and internet community where you are.

Soooo, this product stops the nonsense. Called Silent Pocket, nice little pouch to store your cell phone in, lined with material to prevent all signals in or outbound, otherwise known as a Faraday cage. Put it in when you want to go incognito, take it out and use the phone normally. I got it because I am not wild about contact tracing.  Or other conspiracy angles. Don't get me started....

https://silent-pocket.com/

 

 

[kurtsara]

I have nothing to hide so I don't care

[Parrformance]

11 hours ago, kurtsara said:

I have nothing to hide so I don't care

Common theme in the former Weimar Republic...

[SuiteSuccess]

7 hours ago, Parrformance said:

Common theme in the former Weimar Republic...

👍👍

[steiny93]

For Uconnect I don't believe the truck is sending data via satellite; 'I think' it is using the built in cellular antenna to send intel back to FCA.

There are a bunch of ways to stop this, unplug the antenna, remove the modem, etc.

Here is an example: http://sandsprite.com/blogs/index.php?uid=7&pid=462&year=2019

 

Do note that you may end up killing off some desired features (gps nav for example).

 

[lappir]

On 7/14/2020 at 10:05 AM, beyerjf said:

Since we are on the topic of wholesale snooping. I got tired of Google knowing everywhere I went and asking me how I liked the tacos at Enrique's Mexican Food Emporium, even though I just drove past the place. Matters not if your phone is turned off, it still pings towers, and unless you disable the GPS function, tells the whole intelligence and internet community where you are.

Soooo, this product stops the nonsense. Called Silent Pocket, nice little pouch to store your cell phone in, lined with material to prevent all signals in or outbound, otherwise known as a Faraday cage. Put it in when you want to go incognito, take it out and use the phone normally. I got it because I am not wild about contact tracing.  Or other conspiracy angles. Don't get me started....

https://silent-pocket.com/

 

 

Won't just turning off the phone do the same thing?  Inside the "cage" the phone will be constantly searching for  a signal and may have the battery depleted when you pull it out to use it. I keep my "location" off the majority of the time unless I'm using the phone for the Waze or Google Maps GPS functions. 

Rod

[Dutch_12078]

Except when I need the GPS function for some purpose, I keep the "Fake GPS" Android app active with it set to "Little Duck Island" 4 miles off the coast of Maine.