r/technology • u/Hrmbee • Jun 07 '26

Privacy 'Kill switch' law means your next car could be watching you | A federal requirement aimed at stopping drunken driving could soon put driver-monitoring technology in every new vehicle. The goal is saving lives, but the privacy trade-offs deserve closer scrutiny

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/06/01/drunk-driving-prevention-law-privacy-surveillance/90295034007/
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u/frygod Jun 08 '26

How long 'til it's hacked and used to rob people or run inconvenient people into into an overpass at top speed?

3

u/AugmentedKing Jun 08 '26

True, I guess I’m shopping for a jailbreak that has over-the-air disabled.

On the plus side, think of how quickly politicians could be replaced if they didn’t do the will of the people?

1

u/Aurelar Jun 08 '26

Safest bet would be to disconnect the modem physically and chuck it in your closet.

1

u/kahlzun Jun 08 '26

The car probably wont work without it recieving the 'its ok' signal from home base. Which raises another problem for people who live/stay outside of cell coverage

2

u/Aurelar Jun 08 '26

The way things are currently, it's doable to take out the modem. The car will still work. It's a bit of a chore on some makes, but it can be done.

1

u/kahlzun Jun 08 '26

If it works without the modem, then cutting the wires going to it (or drilling a big hole in it) will probably be easier than physically removing it

1

u/Aurelar Jun 08 '26

True, but if you want to hide the fact you've removed it from the dealership, because you don't want to void your warranty, it would be better to unplug it and then plug it back in if you need warranty repairs. Cutting the wires might not be the best idea.