4 ms·
It means previously you had some expectation that where and when you drive is private data that nobody else has unless they are tailing you. Now your car is br
by ebbv 10y ago
It means previously you had some expectation that where and when you drive is private data that nobody else has unless they are tailing you.
Now your car is broadcasting its location at all times via cell signal, and that data may be (almost certainly is) being recorded.
- chatmasta 10y agoHow is that any worse than driving with your cellphone in your pocket?
- TeMPOraL 10y agoDifferent set of parties having access to the car-originating data. That, and you can always drive without a cellphone if you so desire.
- smartbit 10y agoIMHO you can always travel without a car if you want to
- waterphone 10y agoMaybe in some places. In most of the non-urban U.S., it simply isn't feasible to live a normal life without driving.
- therealidiot 10y agoThis is a fact that so many people like to conveniently forget
- waterphone 10y agoWhere I live, the closest store is 5 miles, but it's just a very basic and small general store. To reach an actual store with fresh produce and more, it's a 100 mile round trip. That may be on the somewhat extreme end of things, but variations on that are a normal way of life for people in rural areas.
- tedunangst 10y agoOdd response to an article about... cars.
- Broken_Hippo 10y agoNot only is it impractical in rural areas of the US like others have said, but in most small-to-medium sized cities as well. Some places simply won't hire folks if they don't have access to a car. Some small cities have no taxi service, and the larger (30-80k) that do often charge too much to use on a regular basis. Not to mention the same holds true for rural areas of other countries as well, as the bus system might not come often enough to work, let alone buy groceries. Or you might have to deal with weather which makes bike riding (let alone walking) inconceivable.
- pdkl95 10y agoCellphones may be popular, but they are not ubiquitous. Land lines (and equivalent) work fine for many purposes (including me). Since humans are terrible at assessing risks that have probabilistic or delayed effects, most people - including some engineers that should know better - don't understand or underestimate how powerful patter-of-life analysis can be when it can utilize entire lifetimes of timestamped location data.
- chatmasta 10y agoAnd just as you can choose to use a landline, you can choose to drive a 1990 Honda Accord.
- pdkl95 10y agoYes. I do. (an older Civic, but close enough) The point is you shouldn't assume everyone has a cellphone in their pocket. Therefor a car that broadcasts its location would compromise an existing expectation of privacy. The rapidly growing use of ALPR devices is causing a similar compromise of privacy, but that's a separate problem.
- chatmasta 10y agoMy point is that it's not compromising an existing expectation of privacy if 1) you have the option to buy an older car, and 2) you are aware the new car you are considering buying is connected to the Internet.
- thebaer 10y agoYou can also turn a cell phone off and (with most phones) remove its battery.