New OnStar capability: Remote Engine Block

[giod]

All the paranoia aside, next time you lock your keys in your car you'll be wishing you had ONSTAR to unlock for you rather than pay a $50 lockout fee to the local tow company..

[BlueMarlin]

Originally Posted by Vash

Why would it eliminate that? It still can be used. The more layers of defense the better.

The passlock signal wire probably routes thru that silencer thing. That's the wire you normally route thru an alarm brain starter kill.

Touche.

excellent point sir.

[wullger]

Originally Posted by Doc

I can see someone like you easily being one of the self-righteous enforcers lol. Not hard to imagine.

It's only paranoia if it's extremely unlikely to be true. In this case it may already be unstoppable.

I've never seen Eagle Eye, I never saw Minority Report either. Don't need to in order to see where things have been or where they can go.

"They" may not have the resources at this moment to track everyone in real-time but they're probably pretty close; just need the capacity of the system upgraded to handle the bandwidth. That's underway already. Computing power is probably already there; memory capacities are either there already or getting close. GPS systems are rapidly being put in place. It will be a few more years but not many before the infrastructure is in place for all this. If you think governments are going to let power like that just sit there... lol, you know nothing of the nature of politicians. Never underestimate their greed.

Anyone else see the resemblance?

[Doc]

Originally Posted by BackinBlack

Doc, sorry man but I can't read your posts with any kind of seriousness. I guess you should do what it is that you do, and I'll do what it is that I do, and we don't have to talk about this anymore. Enjoy your Camaro.

That's okay Back; the information is in your memory. You'll remember it when you need it. I'm just not comfortable with the idea of spending $35k of my hard earned money on a car that somebody else can take control of at any time. But that's just me.

[Restroom]

I'd much prefer that instead of having anything hooked to the ignition itself that they just add two-way functionality to an existing sensor for airbag deployment.
And silkscreen a giant cartoon boxing glove on the driver's wheel airbag.
And allow the operation to be performed simply by placing a call to an appropriate exchange number.

Actually, that's all old hat by now. I apologize. Just don't force OnStar onto us. People who want it get it, people who don't are spared the headache of ripping it out without bricking the entire accessory system.

[Speedfreak]

yet another reason to dump on star

[CWI]

Originally Posted by gtjacket

I will be keeping Onstar. BTW, has a 2010 Camaro been stolen yet?

Haven't heard of a whole car stolen but Number3 did have the wheels stolen off his CTF car a couple months ago.

Originally Posted by Vash

This is the power down to idle not a full kill right? I think the media just sounds like there facts are a little crossed.The power down keeps power steering and brakes powered up but no acceleration. Correct me if wrong pls.

Prevents restart after first ignition off cycle once reported and activated.

Originally Posted by fastball

I am currious, can OnStar slow the car down remotely? I don't think they should be able to complete stop a car if it is moving at 70 mph it could be dangerous to other people on the road, but at least make it slow to a crawl of like, 10 mph......

OR, sense when the car has come to a complete stop (say at a stop sign), and THEN kill the engine?

Sounds like the capability is there, just maybe not the protocol.

Originally Posted by Lucky SOB

To me this is scary stuff... If there was a way to disable it, I would.

So who owns most of GM right now? oh yeah, the government.
So who has access to do this and has just this much more control over you, the government.
I DO NOT want this much "big brother looking over my shoulder"

Something to hide? Maybe not so "Lucky"?

Originally Posted by broncosman

When I go to work (Houston PD) and I'm parking my Camaro in Greenspoint (Nicknamed "Gunspoint") I am looking forward to that extra security. The auto theft is high in the area and I plan on purchasing a car alarm that lets me know someone's tampering with the vehicle. I said it before, my plan is to call On* right away and I get on the radio and ask any one of my co-workers closest to the Storefront to fly over there asap and severely arrest the S.O.B. trying to take/mess up my ride.

++++++

Originally Posted by Doc

Palm your face all you like. If you don't think it's creepy having somebody you don't know tracking your every movement and being able to shutdown your car at their whim... well all I can say is I have no desire to be a lobster in the pot.

It seems like a good idea now, but government always abuses power if given the chance and the potential for future abuse of this "feature" is incredible. O had no authority to tell a private sector CEO to leave his job but he did and got away with it. He'll keep testing the limits of what he can get away with to find out how far he can go. They are literally passing laws without reading them right now; we have no idea what they've put into law.

Oregon politicians want to pass a law taxing you for every mile you travel in the state and guess how it's tracked... yep, through MANDATORY gps in your car. And if they can track how many miles, they can also track how long it took and calculate your speed...automatic speeding tickets, no need for a cop to write you one. Don't want to pay? Want to protest? With something like Onstar they can just disable your car and if you try to prevent that, you can be arrested. Remember if it's a matter of law enforcement, companies and services have to cooperate. And if they've shut down your car, there would be a mandatory "reactivation fee" too. State politicians are trying to come up with every possible way they can think of to generate revenue so don't for a minute believe they won't use this type of technology. Oh but they're breaking the law! Yes it's always easy to justify power and control when you wrap your motives in "concern" for the law and "safety" of others. Therein lies the path to tyranny when people are willing to let others take care of the responsibility for their lives instead of doing it themselves.

Think that's all that can be done with this technology? You know how lobsters are cooked don't you? Pay attention before the water gets to the boiling point and you're cooked. By the time you realize what's happened it will be too late. Freedom requires vigilance against the potential for tyranny. Between gps in phones and cars, it won't be long before technology has the power to track and monitor in real-time your every movement. Oh it will all be done under the guise of "security and safety" but it will be an Orwellian nightmare because as always the wrong kind of people are drawn to that kind of power like moths to a flame.

Read the papers in the U.K. if you want to see where this kind of system is heading; they've already begun.

When you figure out how to fix all these government problems you speak of, put your name on the ballot. You will be my hero.

Originally Posted by Doc

That's okay Back; the information is in your memory. You'll remember it when you need it. I'm just not comfortable with the idea of spending $35k of my hard earned money on a car that somebody else can take control of at any time. But that's just me.

Someone at Onstar is going to just pick you at random and F**8 with you? If they take control of your car they better have the proper authorization and a damn good reason or they will be out of a job AND in court. Why would anyone risk that just to F*** with you? Are you "special"?

[LSX-80MM]

just don't renew when your year is up,and they'll forget all about you

[Doc]

Originally Posted by CWIweldace

When you figure out how to fix all these government problems you speak of, put your name on the ballot. You will be my hero.

Someone at Onstar is going to just pick you at random and F**8 with you? If they take control of your car they better have the proper authorization and a damn good reason or they will be out of a job AND in court. Why would anyone risk that just to F*** with you? Are you "special"?

Lol; yeah I can see it now "Vote for Doc! He'll fix you right up!" Government problems are always people problems. We have 545 people in D.C. that all need to go, they're all guilty of making an unbelievable mess of things and spending away our future in ways I couldn't have imagined even 20 years ago.

Onstar is a system; it can be tapped into like any communication system. You do realize there's a live microphone right over your head that can be monitored? Will someone at Onstar do it? Probably not. Would a government agency be able to do it? Sure. Would they? Who knows? Not something I want to be concerned with.

Right now nothing sinister is going to happen; it's the near future I'm concerned about. I just prefer my car to be my car that I can modify, tinker with, drive and enjoy without someone being able to "monitor" everything I do and have remote access to "take over" my car's electronics.