Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Unexplored or Scarcely Explored Ethical Problems With Modern Cars Containing Proprietary Software That Drivers Cannot Remove/Replace

The case for Free software in cars (or the case against computerised vehicles, in general)

Cars
The hidden cost of shallow 'novelty'; Who controls the car other than the software that runs in it?



Summary: Proprietary software which is being remotely updated by third parties (untrusted companies, sometimes even malicious and unauthorised actors) can pose a threat to both drivers and passengers

THE folks lurking in our IRC channels have likely seen this recurring theme; cars and the things that nowadays go into new cars concern us. It's not limited to what insurance companies are doing; drivers aren't the sole targets of surveillance and remote control, either. Passengers in cars too are affected.



There are several dimensions to this problem, or several separable aspects. Spying in cars is a big and largely unexplored issue; but it's not the only one. Many of today's cars can be remotely controlled; if not by design, then by cracking, which in turn replaces the software that runs inside a car. The schemes by which this is done are kept under the veil of "national security" (see for example Vault 7 and Vault 8, especially the codenames/operations that relate to software in cars).

"Cars can be easily isolated; many assassinations have historically been carried out in remote places without eyewitnesses."The digitalisation rather than mechanisation (in the physical sense) of car components and their controllers -- including windows, brakes, blinkers etc. -- should be a cause for concern if it's all proprietary software. A few years ago, following the wave of trucks running over crowds in terror attacks, suggestions were made for remote controls (or software-based controls) over the brakes; even without remote controls, or direct controls, the ability to remotely modify the software on a vehicle (such as a truck) should alarm us. Forcing the brakes to kick in, or conversely preventing them from working, is route towards remote assassination with no black box to enable forensics. It's even worse if the pedal for throttling can be tinkered remotely. Use your imagination to picture scenarios where forcing brakes to kick in (or not kick in) and forcing down the gas pedal (or the opposite) would enable assassination, given the right timing. Steering being tinkered would be a lot more difficult to do covertly because of the way steering wheels are physically attached to actual wheels*. But no need to steer people off the road to kill them if speed can be controlled.

Of course assassination is one of many aspects; it's the most extreme (edge) scenario, but it's worth entertaining (nonetheless!) because assassination by governments isn't just a theoretical thing, not even in supposedly 'civilised' societies. Even journalists are being targeted for their work and opinions. Cars can be easily isolated; many assassinations have historically been carried out in remote places without eyewitnesses.

Regarding privacy, today's cars 'emit' an enormous amount of data about drivers and passengers. As Ryan put it moments ago in IRC: "With Google selling data to third parties, maybe you even get spied on by insurance companies anyway for using Waze or Google Maps and just don't even consider it. They do a lot of nasty things in the background. They're not developing these apps for free."

"In the future, hypothetically at least, it's also possible that cars will be universally chipped for satellite communications that track cars' movement (even well outside the reach of plate readers) and charge people in the name of "carbon footprint" or "congestion reduction", in effect subjecting everybody to eternal surveillance (as long as there's satellite signal), no matter if they carry a 'smart' phone inside the car or have a computer inside the car."Speaking for myself, double standards or hypocrisy would probably not be an issue; I used to drive, my licence is still up to date (entirely valid), but I've not owned a car in years. Given the types of cars they sell nowadays, I wouldn't be tempted to buy one either.

This post is part of the series, which we'll resume some other day. Software freedom matters a lot more when your actual movements are controlled by software, even at a high and potentially lethal velocity. There have long been discussions about pacemakers that run proprietary software (and can in theory be remotely modified to assassinate a person), but not many people have a pacemaker inside them compared to the number of people who drive so-called 'smart' cars (that proportion is quickly growing because people no longer get to reject those gimmicks; they come with the car whether you want them or not). In the future, hypothetically at least, it's also possible that cars will be universally chipped for satellite communications that track cars' movement (even well outside the reach of plate readers) and charge people in the name of "carbon footprint" or "congestion reduction", in effect subjecting everybody to eternal surveillance (as long as there's satellite signal), no matter if they carry a 'smart' phone inside the car or have a computer inside the car. With the relentless promotion of "autonomous vehicles" or 'self-driving' (misnomer) vehicles -- a trend that superficial media hype is suddenly rooting for in recent years -- we risk having our locations being used to discriminate or even completely suspend the cars depending on where we go (or denying navigation towards particular places, e.g. to discourage attendance in a nonviolent protest). ____ * Ryan later corrected me, asserting that: "Many new car designs have full power steering controlled by motors that are controlled by software. There's no longer any link at all between the steering wheel and the steering system. If the system goes out, you have no control over the car at all. It's incredibly dangerous. There's also no physical link between the accelerator and the throttle since about 2004 or 2005 on many cars. It's just a sensor. A car with little/no computer controlled components can just end up being repaired indefinitely and kept in service. That's not what they want. They want to sell more new cars. The Waukegan Police even still use Impalas that are as old as mine (2000-2004 style) and they still work. They hand them to ancillary tasks, like probation going out to check on people. The actual cops drive stuff that's newer."

Recent Techrights' Posts

Confirmed in the Mainstream Media: A Lot of Microsoft "Workloads" Were Just LLM Slop (Helping to Fake Growth for Years, as Microsoft Had Paid "Open" "AI" to Become a "Client") and Demand is Rapidly Waning, Datacentres Canceled and/or Shut Down
Anything to facilitate further accounting fraud
Taiwan's Media Covers Closure of Microsoft's "AI" Lab, It's Time to Talk About the Gradual Death of Windows and Implosion of the "AI" Bubble
Earlier this week we showed that mostly Asian media had the 'nerve' to mention Microsoft silently shutting down its 'AI' lab
More Gains for GNU/Linux, Based on Web Surveys
the Steam site shows rapid growth for "Linux" this month
 
StatCounter: Microsoft is Masking a Disaster, It's Way Behind DeepSeek Already and Interest in LLMs Has Waned
it turns out the money "raised" for "Open" "AI" may not even exist at all
Links 03/04/2025: SoftBank Money for Microsoft "Open" "AI" Probably Doesn't Even Exist, Wikimedia Foundation Blasts LLM Nuisance While Microsoft Admits Demand Has Shrunk
Links for the day
Gemini Links 03/04/2025: Patch Panel and Pictures
Links for the day
Islamic Republic of Iran: GNU/Linux at All-time High This Month, Windows Falls to 12%
Vista 10 is up this month despite being "end of life" (EoL) soon
Indonesia: All-Time Highs for GNU/Linux
What's noteworthy right now is the growth of GNU/Linux
statCounter Says GNU/Linux Usage is Up Again (Internationally)
some preliminary April data
Only on April 1st Can the Free Software Foundation Associate With Microsoft's Open Source Initiative (OSI)
We saw some pranks that day linking the FSF to Microsoft (e.g. "endorsing" Windows)
IBM Gets Rid of Kelly Chambliss as Mass Layoffs Reported in IBM Consulting, IBM Loses Key Contracts/Graft
IBM Consulting has been in disarray lately
Slopwatch: Anti-Linux Articles, Not Even Written by Humans
Why aren't Web sites more vocal about this problem?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 02, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Links 03/04/2025: Apple Fined Over Secret Surveillance, "Elegant Writer For A More Civilized Age"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/04/2025: Books and Cold Tea
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2025: More Layoffs, Nokia Again Takes Advantage of Illegal and Unconstitutional Patent Court With Nokia Staff as 'Judges'
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2025: Seizures and Returns to Windows of 24 Years Ago
Links for the day
LLM Slop Helps Obscure and Distort News About Layoffs (IBM, GAFAM)
It's hard to find accurate information
Links 02/04/2025: Microsoft Developers Are Threatening to Go on Strike, World Backup Day Noted
Links for the day
Gemini Protocol Has Growing Appeal (the Web Got Too Bloated and Full of LLM Slop)
For any "data plan" with bandwidth limits or "tiers" it would be cheaper to use/browse Geminispace
The Web Can Survive LLM Slop, But Only If We Collectively Shun and Discourage Serial Sloppers
Doing nothing ought not be a possibility
Amid Secret Shut-downs and Mass Layoffs at Microsoft (4 Waves of Layoffs in 3 Months of 2025) Some Microsoft Staff Expected to Go On Strike
workers going on strike
Gemini Links 02/04/2025: No more on Mastodon and Gemini Mention Script in Go
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, April 01, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, April 01, 2025
My Motion Disbarring or “Striking Off” Brett Wilson LLP for Enabling Violent Americans Who Try to Crush Microsoft Critics in the United Kingdom by Multiple SLAPPs
"Guns for hire" (for Microsoft people who received Microsoft salaries)
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Hijacked Again by Patent Litigation Industry, as President Cheeto Prioritises Aggressors
The "mafia" has taken over the "industry" and the Federal system (justice and constitutions trampled upon)
Ubuntu Slop and FUD Manufactured With LLMs and Funded (by Oneself) 'Studies'
Slop and FUD are ruining the Web
Gemini Links 01/04/2025: Games and More
Links for the day
Links 01/04/2025: Apple Fined $162M for Privacy Abuses, Disinformation Online a Growing Concern
Links for the day
Why We're Reporting Brett Wilson LLP for Apparently Misusing Their Licence to Protect American Microsofters Who Attack Women
For those who have not been keeping abreast
Newer Press Reports Confirm That Microsoft Shuts Down 'Hey Hi' (AI) Labs Despite All the Hype
The "hey hi" (AI) bubble is not sustainable
Links 01/04/2025: Mass Layoffs at Eidos and "Microsoft Pulls Back on Data Centers" (Demand Lacking); "Racist and Sexist" Slop From Microsoft
Links for the day
Stefano Maffulli and His Microsoft-Funded OSI Staff Are Killing the OSI and Killing "Open Source" (All for Money!)
This is far from over
Gemini Links 01/04/2025: XKCDpunk and worldclock.py
Links for the day
50 Years of Sabotage and a Gut Punch to Computer Science (and Science in General)
Will we get back to science-based computing rather than cult-like following?
Techrights Headlines as Semaphore
"If you are hearing this, thank you"
3 Months in 2025, 4 Waves of Mass Layoffs at Microsoft, Now Offices Shut Down Permanently
"A recent visit by the South China Morning Post confirmed that the office was dark, unoccupied, and had its logo removed."
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 31, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, March 31, 2025