• BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    97
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    9 months ago

    If only all these tracking functions were easy to deactivate (or better, opt-in) then there would not be a need for jammers

    • Dojan@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      69
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      They should 100% be opt in. If I want to use GPS I’ll use my phone. I don’t know a single person that uses the one built into the car.

      But obviously they want all that juicy data. It’s not enough that they charge insane rates on the vehicles themselves, they must also add microtransactions and track when we have sex, and with who too.

      • A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        22
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        9 months ago

        everything like this should be Opt-In.

        It should be a violation of our basic civil and human rights for this shit to be opt-out, especially in such a way that you are not even aware of it, or the ability to opt out.

    • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      I would say depends. For company owned cars thats justified as it should purely meant for business trip only. For duel use vehicle, that there should absolutely have switch to turn it on or off.

  • Vakbrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    62
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    edit-2
    9 months ago

    You know what feels wrong? You can easily buy GPS tracking devices on Amazon, but it is illegal to use a GPS jammer in USA, Canada and many other countries.

    So companies spying you is fine, but blocking a GPS signal to prevent them from spying can get you a $16,000 fine.

    Edit: my thought experiment is not about truck drivers being monitored but more about those fancy new EVs that sell your GPS based data to data brokers… You usually can’t turn off the GPS in those EVs.

    • flawedFraction@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      50
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      9 months ago

      The reason this needs to be illegal is because jamming the signal is not specific to you. You block your signal but you probably will also be blocking it for anyone else in the vicinity. Plus the way these things work they can create interference for other types of signals as well. It isn’t the blocking itself that’s illegal, but the interference that you’re causing.

      • Vakbrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        9 months ago

        I totally understand this and I agree when it comes to jammers this powerful.

        My comment was about the low power models which only works for few feet, just enough for to cover your own car. Those are still illegal.

        • abhibeckert@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          13
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          9 months ago

          My comment was about the low power models which only works for few feet

          There’s no such thing.

        • linearchaos@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          9 months ago

          GPS signals are incredibly weak and super vulnerable to interference.

          We all deserve the right not to be tracked.

          The solution to this isn’t in GPS jamming the solution to this is in data collection laws. They should absolutely refuse to sell cars that don’t have the option to turn off cellular links and GPS tracking.

    • MeekerThanBeaker@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      23
      ·
      9 months ago

      I’m no GPSjamologist, but if a jammer was running in your car, wouldn’t the signal reach other nearby cars while in traffic or does it do it all within the confines of your automobile?

    • zik@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      9 months ago

      It’s not just EVs - most new cars have these tracking devices where they sell your data to your insurance company to be used against you.

        • zik@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          9 months ago

          They have devices installed which include GPS and an accelerometer. They report back to base via a cellular connection when you drive erratically or aggressively etc.

    • Etterra@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      8 months ago

      Just wait until your smart toilet can tell the insurance companies what chemical substances you’ve consumed so that the can raise your rates, deny your claims, or sell the info to your boss so the company can fire you with cause.

      We already live in hell and there’s no upper limit on the thermostat.

      • CaptKoala@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        8 months ago

        I mean, I knew it was bad already, but please for the love of god stop giving them ideas that they may or may not have yet thought of…

    • KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      9 months ago

      Let me preface this by saying I completely agree that there’s a conflict here, but it’s pretty much required in this day and age.

      Let’s look at the current situation: Someone buys a tracker for under $100, sticks it to your car, and they can see you wherever you go. It’s scary, because they can know where you are at all times, and there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to figure out who did it.

      Now an alternative where GPS trackers are illegal: Someone buys the generic parts for a GPS tracker, sticks it to your car, and they can see you wherever you go. But also legitimate uses for GPS trackers aren’t possible any longer. Say goodbye to things like tiles and air tags, hell maybe even GPS in your phone since you can get an android device with GPS for less than $100 and load it with software to do the tracking. At best you’ve prevented easy tracking with a huge detriment to the average user, at worst you’ve outlawed GPS tech entirely.

      The final alternative is allowing jamming. I don’t have a nice story for this one, because the implications are far reaching. Is your jammer too strong? You’re interrupting other people’s GPS in a huge area, including things like navigation, child/pet/item tracking, time sensitive hardware could be using GPS as well, or things checking elevation. Not to mention, jammers can be used for nefarious purposes as well. Kidnapping a child and jamming a tracker on them, stealing a phone/wallet/keys and blocking its ability to report where it is.

      There’s no perfect situation here, but the current state is the least harmful to the general population.

    • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      I think you could do it, but you’d need to spray some foam or something so the wrap cage isn’t touching any metal of the car.

      Might be easier to just put a cage around the transmitter.