So much for OnStar.. by Fremdfirma

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

So much for OnStar..

POSTED BY: FREMDFIRMA
UPDATED: Saturday, October 13, 2007 16:16
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VIEWED: 1746
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Friday, October 12, 2007 2:12 AM

Warning: Beware Pop-ups and Hostile Javascript.
Alas I don't have a safer link for this.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Autos/story?id=3706113&Business=true
(Oh, and fuck you, ABC, for using such things.)

Because of the potential for misuse, we've not even remotely considered releasing any research on electronics-frying pulse weapons to the Police, which would have the same effect, although it would damage the vehicles electronics significantly.

This particular idea comes with a more nefarious weakness, like any Gov-Mandated backdoor, how soon do you really think it would be before some enterprising Hacker punk figures out how to trigger it ?

We've had some severe problems reported with cell-phones and general harrassment already, due to such things, and there's some new nastiness that Vista users are vulnerable to due to hard wired, unclosable loopholes in the software.

Just imagine it, you're cruising down the highway, trying to make it to work, and then... POOF, your engine cuts to idle speed in the fast lane.

Cause some hacker type thought it was funny, or you were in his way, or what have you.

ANY time you build backdoors and exploits into something, someone WILL find them, hell they find em often enough when you try to close every one, leaving them there is just asking for it.

As for high speed chases, look, I can see chasing the car full of bank robbers - but chasing the dweeb who forgot to use his turn signal ?

Puh-lease - we pay all that damn money for the ghetto birds (police helicopters) they can damned well use em - or even temporarily deputize a local news/traffic chopper, with reimbursement from the dept for fuel costs.

This is just pure slackerhood on behalf of folks who do their just in a piss-poor fashion by my standards already, and an open door for abuse and exploitation - OnStar can go to hell.

Bad enough it's possible to eavesdrop on any OnStar unit in the vicinity if you know how.

-Frem

It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it

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Friday, October 12, 2007 3:27 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Unless they've just stolen a late model ride, don't most thieves drive around in beat up pieces of shit anyways ? Seems to me when there's a news break in and some yahoo is driving through the streets of L.A. and surrounding areas, it's more often than not a piece of crap car that's lucky to have a cd player in it, never mind any sort of Onstar type device.

People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Friday, October 12, 2007 3:57 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Ayep, chilling thought on that respect.

Good heavens wouldn't it make carjacking easy for the technically savvy ?

*shudder*

Damn stupid idea, this.

-F

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Friday, October 12, 2007 4:05 AM

FLETCH2

According to the adverts Onstar can already open doors remotely and knows the exact location of the vehicle.

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Friday, October 12, 2007 7:12 AM

HERO

Quote:
Originally posted by Fremdfirma:
This particular idea comes with a more nefarious weakness, like any Gov-Mandated backdoor, how soon do you really think it would be before some enterprising Hacker punk figures out how to trigger it ?

Well, how about other police methods for stopping the vehicles. They can ram the car to spin it out...I guess criminals can't do that. They can use spike strips to blow tires...no criminals could never think to pop someone's tires.

This is a safe, inexpensive means for the police to effect a traffic stop.

I don't see the problem here. Your tilting at windmills.

H

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Friday, October 12, 2007 9:17 AM

SERGEANTX

Quote:
Originally posted by Hero:
This is a safe, inexpensive means for the police to effect a traffic stop.

I don't see the problem here. Your tilting at windmills.

H

Hero, have you ever met a mechanism of state repression you didn't like? Seriously, what about embedded, remote-controlled tasers surgically inserted into each of our spines? Then we'd have law and order, by gawd!

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Friday, October 12, 2007 10:34 AM

FLETCH2

Don't give people ideas

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Friday, October 12, 2007 11:23 AM

BIGDAMNNOBODY

Quote:
Originally posted by SergeantX:
Seriously, what about embedded, remote-controlled tasers surgically inserted into each of our spines? Then we'd have law and order, by gawd!

As long as it was optional, like OnStar.

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Friday, October 12, 2007 11:49 AM

ALLIETHORN7

This scares me... How long until someone finds out the backdoor? Not likely to be more then three days after the use becomes wide spread. Put any tool in the hands of men, and by God they'll abuse it. That's how humans are.
God, we're nasty lil' buggers, aren't we?

-Danny

We move for all mankind,
A million miles from everything we've ever know...
We're on their hearts and minds,
A million heads are bowed to bring us safely home...
Hemmed in by emptiness,
A million ways that everything could be undone...

THRICE RULES!!!!!!!!!
My Master went to the Moon in a Rocket of Flamin' Cheese!
I LIKE CHEESE!!!
http://www.myspace.com/otherrandomdude

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Friday, October 12, 2007 12:00 PM

SERGEANTX

Quote:
Originally posted by BigDamnNobody:
Quote:
Originally posted by SergeantX:
Seriously, what about embedded, remote-controlled tasers surgically inserted into each of our spines? Then we'd have law and order, by gawd!

As long as it was optional, like OnStar.

That's a fair point. But how long before these come standard? And how long after that before they're required?

I know, not everyone takes the slippery slope argument seriously, often for good reason. But from my experience, when it comes government it's a very real concern.

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Friday, October 12, 2007 9:51 PM

ROCKETJOCK

I note that the police will have to have "The Owner's Permission." Nice technicality that.

Because I'm a cockeyed optimist, I'll assume what they're talking about is disabling stolen or hijacked vehicles only, because there's no way in hell they'll be able to get a drunk driver's permission while he's in the act...

Unless, of course, they force the Car Insurance carriers to require all their customers to pre-approve police shutdowns if they want to get insurance...

...which is, of course, already required to legally operate a motor vehicle...

Slippery Slope? Are you kidding? Think Kilimanjaro doused in WD-40!

"She's tore up plenty. But she'll fly true." -- Zoë Washburn

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Saturday, October 13, 2007 1:33 AM

LEADB

Or 'probable cause.'

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Saturday, October 13, 2007 4:16 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

Heh.... Hero.

That guy makes me laugh. What a tool

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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