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It is possible that a self-driving car could still give you personal autonomy. Although you would lose direct mechanical control over the car, it is still techn

It is possible that a self-driving car could still give you personal autonomy. Although you would lose direct mechanical control over the car, it is still technically possible to implement a self-driving car that always goes exactly where the occupant tells it to, without ever phoning home. Of course, none of the companies making self-driving cars actually want that, and most of the people buying them either don't care or don't realise, so it's probably not going to happen.

samstave 8y ago
Yeah no thanks. "jstaney you are under arrest - remain calm your vehicle will deliver you to the nearest processing facility. Do not attempt to control the vehicle. Do not attempt to exit the vehicle. Any action deemed as attempting to exit the vehicle or prevent it from arriving at the detention facility will result in your immediate admission of guilt and the appropriate sentencing will commence. Have a nice day, thank you for using GovCloud Services."
- logfromblammo 8y ago
  Poor jstaney, confused by a bureaucratic error with notorious rogue air conditioning repairman jstanley...
- mindslight 8y ago
  You're talking right past the comment you're responding to, which is highlighting the distinction between the inherent aspects of the technology, and the non-inherent authoritarian aspects which will be shoved down our throat by business interests and government perverts (different specializations of the same group, really). Similarly, we could easily have mobile phones that do not track us. It's just in none of the manufacturers' interest to design them, as the vanishing epsilon of people who care enough to pay extra do not offset the economies of scale from going with the current surveillance-based designs. Having said that, one of the themes in discussion of mass surveillance is the quantitative difference of it being easier than a police department having to expend the effort of physically following someone around. Government (de jure or de facto) controlled cars will make the act of arresting someone similarly effortless.
- icebraining 8y ago
  A manual-driving car can just lock you in until the cops arrive.
snsr 8y ago
*Directional preference input available with in-app purchase

samstave 8y ago

Yeah no thanks. "jstaney you are under arrest - remain calm your vehicle will deliver you to the nearest processing facility. Do not attempt to control the vehicle. Do not attempt to exit the vehicle. Any action deemed as attempting to exit the vehicle or prevent it from arriving at the detention facility will result in your immediate admission of guilt and the appropriate sentencing will commence. Have a nice day, thank you for using GovCloud Services."

logfromblammo 8y ago
Poor jstaney, confused by a bureaucratic error with notorious rogue air conditioning repairman jstanley...
mindslight 8y ago
You're talking right past the comment you're responding to, which is highlighting the distinction between the inherent aspects of the technology, and the non-inherent authoritarian aspects which will be shoved down our throat by business interests and government perverts (different specializations of the same group, really). Similarly, we could easily have mobile phones that do not track us. It's just in none of the manufacturers' interest to design them, as the vanishing epsilon of people who care enough to pay extra do not offset the economies of scale from going with the current surveillance-based designs. Having said that, one of the themes in discussion of mass surveillance is the quantitative difference of it being easier than a police department having to expend the effort of physically following someone around. Government (de jure or de facto) controlled cars will make the act of arresting someone similarly effortless.
icebraining 8y ago
A manual-driving car can just lock you in until the cops arrive.

snsr 8y ago

*Directional preference input available with in-app purchase