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Potential problem with transmitters is that they could be faked. You could certainly never rely on them alone.

wtallis 2y ago
There are lots of other areas where intentionally violating FCC regulations to transmit harmful signals is already technologically feasible and cheap, but hasn't become a widespread problem in practice. Why would it be any worse for cars communicating with each other? If anything, having lots of cars on the road logging what they receive from other cars (spoofed or otherwise) would make it too easy to identify which signals are fake, thwarting potential use cases like insurance fraud (since it's safe to assume the car broadcasting fake data is at fault in any collision).
- johnisgood 2y ago
  I agree, the problem has been solved. If a consensus mechanism similar to those used in blockchain were implemented, vehicles could cross-reference the data they receive with data from multiple other vehicles. If inconsistencies are detected (for example, a car reporting a different speed than what others are observing), that data could be flagged as potentially fraudulent. Just as blockchain technologies can provide a means of verifying the authenticity of transactions, a network of cars could establish a decentralized validation process for the data they exchange. If one car broadcasts false data, the consensus mechanism among the surrounding vehicles would allow for the identification of this "anomaly", similar to how fraudulent transactions can be identified and rejected in a blockchain system. What you mentioned with regarding to insurance could be used as a deterrent, too, along with laws making it illegal to spoof relevant data. In any case, privacy is going to take a toll here, I believe.
  - 15155 2y ago
    This is a complicated, technical solution looking for a problem. Simple, asymmetrically-authenticated signals and felonies for the edge cases solve this problem without any futuristic computer wizardry.
    - johnisgood 2y ago
      I did not intend to state that we ought to use the blockchain, at all, for what it is worth. Vehicles should cross-reference the data they receive with data from multiple other vehicles and detect inconsistencies, any consensus mechanism could work, if we could call it that.

There are lots of other areas where intentionally violating FCC regulations to transmit harmful signals is already technologically feasible and cheap, but hasn't become a widespread problem in practice. Why would it be any worse for cars communicating with each other? If anything, having lots of cars on the road logging what they receive from other cars (spoofed or otherwise) would make it too easy to identify which signals are fake, thwarting potential use cases like insurance fraud (since it's safe to assume the car broadcasting fake data is at fault in any collision).

johnisgood 2y ago
I agree, the problem has been solved. If a consensus mechanism similar to those used in blockchain were implemented, vehicles could cross-reference the data they receive with data from multiple other vehicles. If inconsistencies are detected (for example, a car reporting a different speed than what others are observing), that data could be flagged as potentially fraudulent. Just as blockchain technologies can provide a means of verifying the authenticity of transactions, a network of cars could establish a decentralized validation process for the data they exchange. If one car broadcasts false data, the consensus mechanism among the surrounding vehicles would allow for the identification of this "anomaly", similar to how fraudulent transactions can be identified and rejected in a blockchain system. What you mentioned with regarding to insurance could be used as a deterrent, too, along with laws making it illegal to spoof relevant data. In any case, privacy is going to take a toll here, I believe.
- 15155 2y ago
  This is a complicated, technical solution looking for a problem. Simple, asymmetrically-authenticated signals and felonies for the edge cases solve this problem without any futuristic computer wizardry.
  - johnisgood 2y ago
    I did not intend to state that we ought to use the blockchain, at all, for what it is worth. Vehicles should cross-reference the data they receive with data from multiple other vehicles and detect inconsistencies, any consensus mechanism could work, if we could call it that.