Thread

Automatic Transmission – a data-privacy study of connected vehicles

262 points · 235 comments · rafaelc

prasadvara · 1790886388 · focus · HN ↗
The ongoing theme of all these responses was shifting the blame to the consumer.
As expected. I think consumers also need to push back on these practices, but the problem is, majority of consumers are tech savy but not privacy savy.
1. slowin · 1790887238 · focus · HN ↗
  I'd love to push back, I'm not sure what that looks like though. I can't even get an open source/open hardware phone that's decent, let alone a car.
  1. ad_fontes · 1790888139 · focus · HN ↗
    You might want to check out Slate. It's about the closest thing to an open vehicle platform I can imagine.
    wiml · 1790889192 · focus · HN ↗
    Does Slate actually make any statements about the level of telematics/surveillance in their vehicles?
    goda90 · 1790889479 · focus · HN ↗
    They say their vehicles have no modem by default, only leaving it as an option for fleet users. They also have no infotainment system to contain any sort of camera or microphone.
    CarVac · 1790889577 · focus · HN ↗
    They do have a backup camera.
    themaninthedark · 1790956315 · focus · HN ↗
    It's required by law...
    ad_fontes · 1790889570 · focus · HN ↗
    IIRC, they don't have a cellular radio in the vehicle (or even a FM radio). All the connectivity is done via Bluetooth with a mobile app.
    It's been a while since I read up on them and things might have changed, but I have a lot respect for what they're doing. Full embracing right to repair and customer privacy when the entire industry is moving at lightning speed in the opposite direction.
    goodmythical · 1790890121 · focus · HN ↗
    Aren't their companies that are doing their telemetry over bluetooth bridge to phone' internet? Not saying slate necessarily does, but it's certainly an available exfil surface, especially if there's a 'manage your slate vehicle' app.
    SoftTalker · 1790895661 · focus · HN ↗
    You can always just not connect the bluetooth.
    goodmythical · 1791078911 · focus · HN ↗
    Well, sure, but if memory serves, there are car platforms where you connect for say playing music and the cars app on your phone uses the bluetooth connection to exfil data to the car company via the phone's internet.
    I'm just saying that "disable car's telemetry" is not necessarily 100% for preventing exfil of car telemetry if you then connect your phone while having the car app running.
    Like, I'm not sure of the company, but I know there was some "I modded my car so it couldn't phone home but I'm still getting reports from the manufacturer about excessive acceleration" and it ended up being because the owner had disabled the car's telemetry but was using the app on the phone for remote start and music or whatever.
    [deleted] · 1790895981 · focus · HN ↗
    [deleted]
    holycrapwhodat · 1790893585 · focus · HN ↗
    Yes.
    If you buy a completely option-free $24,950 truck, there is no telematics/surveillance in their vehicle.
    Which also means there's no remote app features that people enjoy.
    The spirit of the vehicle is you can option out just about anything and DIY-it; very, very few "from the factory" options, but dozens upon dozens of DIY accessories from the factory.
    Including a $275 telematics module - <a href="https://www.slate.auto/en/store/ACCIT010" rel="nofollow">https://www.slate.auto/en/store/ACCIT010 - Which enables remote app features.
    The current description for the module on their website:
    > A plug-and-play solution that acts as a cellular bridge between your smartphone and your Slate vehicle, enabling features like remote access and battery pre-conditioning.
    It's not clear to anyone exactly what features the module has to enable the above, or if it does more than all that.
    Once the thing actually ships, there'll be manuals, and there'll be people hacking it to find out exactly what it both does and doesn't do.
    And since it's a DIY addition, if you later become uncomfortable with what you added to your vehicle, you can remove it!
    snypher · 1790895737 · focus · HN ↗
    >no remote app features that people enjoy.
    I do enjoy watching my friend remote start his Colorado through the app, it only takes 30 seconds for the app to load and sign in, and then he presses a button that used to be on the key itself.
    kotaKat · 1790937338 · focus · HN ↗
    Preorder customer and heavy info-digger here on Slate:
    There's no actual wireless on the vehicle out of the box. There's a "secure gateway" module that has a USB Ethernet adapter hanging off it, then that hangs off a USB-C port just inside the dash panels. Job listings basically detail that it's going to be DTLS over USB to the truck to do all the CANbus magic and stuff.
    The telematics module also just hooks to a second USB port on the secure gateway that also has access to that same DTLS link.
    So far in the truck's development they don't even really have an app yet before launch but the truck's driving along very happy without it.
    <a href="https://www.cybercogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/cybercogs_sgi_rev0d.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.cybercogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/cyberco...

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