In today’s tech-driven world, the intersecting realms of automobiles and computers raise important privacy concerns. As vehicles become increasingly integrated with advanced technology, the line between personal ownership and corporate control blurs. This article explores the evolving nature of autonomy in our vehicles and computers, revealing how these advancements may compromise personal freedom and privacy.
Yves here. A significant concern surrounding cars serving as surveillance tools is the rise of conveniences, such as GPS and entertainment systems, which are not strictly necessary. Moreover, vehicles are equipped with numerous diagnostic sensors that have been around since at least the early 2000s. As Tesla’s cautionary notes indicate, these systems are increasingly designed to render the vehicle inoperable if the registered owner opts out of connectivity. Faraday cages for cars typically require the vehicle to be stationary.
By Thomas Neuburger. Originally published at God’s Spies
“Neoliberalism as an economic system enshrines the extraction of rent over industrial production.”
—Yours truly, here
Two monumental inventions of the 20th century, one emerging early and the other towards the end, revolutionized individual freedom and empowerment: the automobile, which transformed personal transportation, and the personal computer (PC).
Cars and Computers
Owning a car means you possess your own means of transportation—it’s not rented or borrowed. While arguments exist regarding the impacts of owning a vehicle on climate and urban congestion, the freedom it affords is undeniable. Whenever you’re ready to leave, you just get in and go.
The same applies to owning a PC. Prior to the advent of personal computing, performing complex calculations and modeling tasks could be daunting and time-consuming, if not impossible. Reflect on the most intricate spreadsheet you’ve ever created; would you have been able to do that by hand? Or, if it was feasible, would you have chosen to?
Before the emergence of the personal computer and its corporate counterpart, the UNIX-based Sun Workstation, access to computing was tethered to hefty mainframes and minicomputers, such as those produced by DEC. These were not considered “personal” due to their prohibitive costs, and although they supported multiple users, the computing power resided in centralized, corporate-owned systems.
It’s essential to remember: Before the PC, computing was centralized and corporate-owned. Following the advent of the PC, computing capabilities transitioned to personal devices, available for individual purchase. However, with the introduction of Windows 11, this shift has been reversed.
Cars and computers, both groundbreaking in providing individual autonomy, now face the threat of being stripped away from personal ownership.
Will You Soon Lose Ownership of Your Car?
This statement is becoming increasingly true. Even the car you’ve purchased may merely be licensed to you, with that license subject to revocation.
Your Vehicle as a Surveillance Device
In recent years, cars have evolved into complex computers, which means they also act as tools for surveillance. According to a 2023 review by the Mozilla Foundation on automobile industry privacy practices, the verdict is clear:
It’s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy
All 25 car brands we examined received our *Privacy Not Included warning label—making them officially the worst category of products for privacy we’ve ever assessed.
For detailed reviews of individual brands, click here. Their transgressions are numerous, but here are the key points:
- They gather excessive personal data (all brands).
- Most (84%) share or sell your data.
- A whopping 92% provide little to no control over your personal data.
- We could not ascertain whether any meet our Minimum Security Standards.
Your data can end up in the hands of your insurance company, which may access all records of your driving habits.
Shutting down these data collection systems isn’t straightforward; they are integrated into the car’s software, which is essential for its operation. Here’s a warning from Tesla, dated 2023 (emphasis mine):
However, “if you no longer wish for us to collect vehicle data or any other data from your Tesla vehicle, please contact us to deactivate connectivity. Please note, certain advanced features such as over-the-air updates, remote services, and interactivity with mobile applications and in-car features rely on such connectivity. Choosing to opt out of vehicle data collection (excluding in-car Data Sharing preferences) may lead to reduced functionality, serious damage, or even render your vehicle inoperable.”
Things have deteriorated further; Tesla is just getting started.
The Mandated ‘Kill Switch’
Check out the Breaking Points video above, which discusses a new dystopian feature—described as a “kill switch” for vehicles manufactured in 2027 and beyond—designed to turn off your car if it suspects you shouldn’t be driving.
The details are outlined here. Under Joe Biden, Section 24220 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act mandates that “all new passenger vehicles must eventually include technology that detects driver impairment and limits vehicle operation.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) oversees the implementation and rule drafting. Unless Congress intervenes or modifies the provision, this kill switch is set to appear in all newly manufactured cars (not including used ones) projected for late 2026 or early 2027 start date.
Concerns About Privacy and Control
In contemporary America, two facts are glaringly true: 1) Once privacy is forfeited, it is unlikely to be regained; and 2) When corporations and governments acquire power, it is quickly abused.
A prime example is the ongoing war—Congress has ceded its authority to declare war, allowing the Executive branch to act autonomously. Today, such declarations occur without any pretense of congressional approval. Consider how the term “terrorist” has expanded to include anyone whom federal authorities aim to target.
The potential for harm with the “new automobile” is significant. AI monitors your driving, meticulously storing data for anyone willing to pay for it, which can even be used to raise your insurance rates or deny coverage.
Moreover, entities controlling the software—manufacturers, law enforcement, or government agencies—could disable your vehicle or, theoretically, take complete control over it, confining you inside and directing your travel without your input. History shows us that every power is inevitably distorted.
This begins, as it often does, with altruistic motives, such as calls to Save the Children (organizations like MADD champion this legislation).
Then it expands under the guise of fighting crime. (“Imagine if they could simply turn off OJ’s car during his infamous chase? Wouldn’t that be a good thing for public safety?”)
What follows? Who knows? The security apparatus will likely exploit it in the name of “keeping you safe.”
The Licensing Revolution
A further reason you may soon lose ownership of your vehicle is the trend of shifting from purchase to rental. You might have noticed:
- Apple licenses music instead of selling it outright.
- Your software is no longer owned. For instance, TurboTax grants a “personal, limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable, revocable license” for usage only within specified terms.
- Amazon’s ebooks and audiobooks operate under similar licensing agreements.
- The same goes for Microsoft Windows.
Non-transferable and revocable licenses are becoming commonplace. This phenomenon has led to what some call renting your life.
The advantages of this Licensing Revolution primarily benefit those in charge. One key benefit is social control, exemplified by how Amazon can remove a book from your “library” whenever it chooses—and it has. Imagine a scenario where a politically motivated figure runs Amazon, “curating” your access to literature. Or envision a Tipper Gore-like figure leading Apple, removing “problematic” songs from your library.
Another significant corporate advantage is a continuous revenue stream amounting to billions. Adobe Acrobat used to be a one-time purchase; now it operates on a license that requires annual renewal. That’s hundreds of dollars per user per year, perpetually. With hundreds of millions of users, that’s billions annually.
While you can choose to walk away from certain brands, your ability to escape from your car while maintaining employment is not an option.
What Can You Do?
All new cars manufactured after the mandated date will feature intrusive software that tracks and controls usage. Additionally, these vehicles will become increasingly non-functional without continuous software licenses that require renewal.
The solution? Simple: Do not purchase a new car. You won’t be alone in this choice, and the market for used cars will flourish.
Windows and the ‘Personal’ Computer
Previously, I noted that computers are already moving in a direction akin to what cars will soon experience. Ownership is fading; rather, they will belong to the software companies controlling the operating systems, as well as the “trust chip” (the Trusted Platform Module, or TPM) found in most modern computers. Privacy and control complications with the TPM chip are numerous, related as well to Windows itself. This will be further explored in Part 2 of this series.
The crux is this: With Windows 11, you do not actually own your computer. What you’ve acquired is a terminal where most software and data reside externally, with the majority of processing occurring “in the cloud”—on someone else’s machines.
So, we have regressed to a model we thought we surpassed:
The personal computer has been undone, and the technology revolution has been reversed, paralleling many other aspects of our lives. Stay tuned for more details.
