EU plans to have a remote stop kill switch on all new cars by 2020

[4601S/C]

TLDR version-
A secret group in Europe is pushing forward with a plan to to have a remote kill switch installed on all ?new? cars sold within their union by 2020. The devices would also have a GPS feature for police to track them with. Supposedly these tools would only be made available only to law enforcement. Needless to say when some people are not happy with this news.

Link to original article.


How do you all feel about this? I think it's crap, and a danger public privacy. Maybe you shouldn't be running from, or breaking the law in the first place. Whose to say that this power would only remain the hands of honest government officials? Whose to say that you can can't be hacked and used is some malicious way (People can already hack some new cars btw: Link). It's very hard to put a price on human life, maybe impossible, but how far does safety need to reach? Do you think will give our government any [secret] ideas?

 

[big reg]

Easy solution. Don't buy new cars. I doubt they will retrofit cars a few years old.

 

[Torch10th]

Easy solution. Don't buy new cars. I doubt they will retrofit cars a few years old.

QFT

Have fun tracking my 1969 Firebird. My GTI with nav on the other hand...

 

[focussvtracer]

Easy solution. Don't buy new cars. I doubt they will retrofit cars a few years old.

They'll make it illegal for you to not buy a new car.

 

[americansteel]

it only goes to show everyone that the countries in the European union still have socialist views and ideologies and how much of rule the governments want over their people, it hasn't changed any over there. its quite sad to think about it though. still a messed up idea to put kill switches in the consumer's car like that's going to stop any kind of crime that happens.

 

[SuperBlownGT]

They'll make it illegal for you to not buy a new car.

Yep, I have a feeling they will come out with another cash for clunkers and target the classic cars and come out with a law for "safety" on them.

 

[focussvtracer]

Yep, I have a feeling they will come out with another cash for clunkers and target the classic cars and come out with a law for "safety" on them.

if you like your classic car, you can keep your classic car period.

 

[P49Y-CY]

since I like tinkering with cars, I would try to disconnect it. technically it is illegal to remove airbags or cats, but it is easy enough to do so.

 

[offroadkarter]

You cant hack a car wirelessly to actually do anything useful (at this time), the hack they did through the TPMS sensors only gave them the ability to mess with the tire pressure readout. To manipulate things like steering, brakes, or gas, they have to physically tap into the PCM and override it.

As far as this GPS killswitch goes, this is absolute pure bullshit if they ever make this law. Since criminals don't follow the law, it wouldn't take long for someone to find a way to disable this killswitch, which would render this whole thing useless.

 

[thomas91169]

You cant hack a car wirelessly to actually do anything useful (at this time), the hack they did through the TPMS sensors only gave them the ability to mess with the tire pressure readout. To manipulate things like steering, brakes, or gas, they have to physically tap into the PCM and override it.

As far as this GPS killswitch goes, this is absolute pure bullshit if they ever make this law. Since criminals don't follow the law, it wouldn't take long for someone to find a way to disable this killswitch, which would render this whole thing useless.

It could be as simple as removing this in the tune, much like you would delete traction control or rear o2 sensors (for catless cars).

Or it could be in the firmware and un-removable.

Most criminals wont know how to delete said killswitch unless they are rolling around with a laptop and OBD port cord when going to steal a car, and have whatever software necessary to disable this.