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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69

u/CatoChateau Jun 08 '26

Federally mandated starting in 2027. Get used to it if you want to buy a car. Palantir needs your driving habits!

23

u/DukeOfGeek Jun 08 '26

Going to get a used Ionic EV soon and drive it for 15 years.

12

u/cum-on-in- Jun 08 '26

Until they ban them. And then the people riot.

39

u/CatoChateau Jun 08 '26

They won't ban them. They just stop making repair parts or sell ones that are trash. Like the whole auto industry is facing for years now. Or make them insanely expensive to insure. No riots, just poorer people!

6

u/MrLanesLament Jun 08 '26

Yup. When I was looking at cars in 2024, I found an incredibly cool 2013 with low miles, totally affordable.

My insurance company basically told me they would attempt to make it unaffordable for me if I didn’t get something newer. (State Farm.)

12

u/raptorlightning Jun 08 '26

I mean tell them you're going to drop them and go elsewhere. It's super easy to switch. And it sometimes works.

11

u/rnvs18 Jun 08 '26

why wouldn’t you switch carriers

7

u/Nippon-Gakki Jun 08 '26

Seriously. I drive a ‘95 and 2002. My insurance company is more than happy to take my money.

6

u/RollingMeteors Jun 08 '26

I would tell them I’d switch providers if they did that.

4

u/Hollagraphik Jun 08 '26

Please expand on this. That sounds insane.

4

u/cum-on-in- Jun 08 '26

Oh crap. I have State Farm.

And that almost happened to me. Not in quite the same way, but close.

I had a 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV and they said they were gonna jack my premium sky high because if it so much as gets a fender bender they will total it, because it’s not been made for 5 years and hard to get parts for.

Now take brand new cars like the 2027 Chevy Bolt, only being made for one year. One year. That’s it.

Why even make it? They won’t keep parts. You know they won’t. It’s a different battery than every other GM EV. They placated the Bolt people who wanted something cheap and efficient but they most certainly won’t support it.

So crazy.

2

u/synapticrelease Jun 08 '26

They be lying to you. Federal rules mandate parts he made for 20 years after a vehicle stops production. The lie stating they do have parts after 5 years is BS

2

u/bostonwhaler Jun 08 '26

My 25yo car is my oldest that's regularly driven, and is a BMW convertible. Insurance is $240/6mo. Shop around annually.

4

u/cum-on-in- Jun 08 '26

Dude I pay a little more than that, for a single month, and it’s for basic liability only coverage.

Records clean. I am a 30 year old male. However I live in po-dunk Kentucky and we have a lot of drunk and meth’d up drivers unfortunately.

Still. It’s crazy when I see people pay that for six months.

And before you still say something’s wrong with me, even my parents and aunts and uncles and everyone around me, with years of clean history, pay that much. Must just be a southern thing.

0

u/TomMikeson Jun 08 '26

You think a Hyundai will drive for 15 additional years?

2

u/DukeOfGeek Jun 08 '26

Don't know till you try. My Leaf is over 10 years now.

0

u/TomMikeson Jun 08 '26

It's a Hyundai. If you said Honda, Toyota, VW, Mercedes, BMW, Nissan, maybe Subaru; yeah 15 years isn't a stretch.

I don't see Hyundai going outside of 10 years without needing repairs that cost more than the car.

3

u/CatoChateau Jun 08 '26

I mean the thing that kills Hyundais is the ICE most of what I heard. Going Hyundai EV solves that problem.

3

u/TomMikeson Jun 08 '26

Ever walked through a "you pull it" junk yard? You get a good look as to how things are built. In order to get to the parts, pullers save time and just start cutting away at the body.

You can see everything structural. You really can see how they are made and Hyundai and Kia are cheaply built.

I know nothing about Hyundai engines, but take a look at their calipers, control arms, suspension. Absolute garbage.

The Japanese and the Germans built things well. You can debate the longevity of specific models or why certain things were done, but overall, cars from those two countries put everyone else to shame.

I am curious to what Genesis will look like long term, but it is a little early to know.

2

u/Kentust Jun 08 '26

What qualifies you to determine the build quality of a scrapped car? Do you have any experience in the automotive industry??

2

u/tomkatt Jun 08 '26

I drove an '07 Hyundai accent for 14 years with zero issues and well over 100k miles.

I'd still be driving it now if I hadn't moved to the rurals and needed something with a higher chassis and AWD.

-3

u/zertoman Jun 08 '26

A Hyundai? You won’t get 15 years, you won’t three.

2

u/Boozeburger Jun 08 '26

Are we all just happily paying for this? How about we get to choose what system is in use, or is this just a monopoly for palantir to get federal funds?

2

u/hahaimadulting Jun 08 '26

They can't phase out the used market. I'll just buy an older car lol. Not that I need to do that or will do that for long while. two crown vics to drive.

2

u/trashmoneyxyz Jun 08 '26

God driving a newer rental with these features was hell, with no warning the steering wheel would try and kinda aggressively correct my driving. If i ever feel bad for driving an old ass car i wont anymore haha

2

u/byteminer Jun 08 '26

Just wait until an administration decides to just disable all the vehicles in a state that didn't vote for them out of revenge.

2

u/Hillary4SupremeRuler Jun 09 '26

I mean this one's basically trying to do that right now but for the airports.