If people really cared about privacy and their cars and were serious about solving it, disabling the telematics control unit or the cellular modem would resolve this issue pretty quickly. None of the cars on the road today need internet connectivity to function.
However, if they have built-in Google maps or navigation system, well that’s always going to be a privacy issue right? This is no different than having GPS and maps on your phone.
Judging by the lack of tik Tok videos on how to disable your car’s cell modem, I’m guessing this isn’t that big of an issue for people.
Disabling it often bricks the car because it’s tied into an ECU or network that requires it. Even if it doesn’t and you could say go and unplug it or a fuse for it, the one in the focus (according to Google) is behind the dash and would probably require you to remove the dash to access it. You could unplug an antenna or something but then other features like radio or GPS might not work. If your car has integrated GPS do not be surprised if it’s the same antenna.
Disabling 4G breaks your car?
So how am I able to drive a Tesla across Northern Canada where there is no cell phone service or internet whatsoever?
That’s not what I said. I said removing or messing with the modem may disable the car which was a known thing on on-star vehicles and generally any vehicle where you could for instance have the car disabled remotely or for instance use your phone as a key.
Here’s a better explanation than I can ever give on the privacy aspect of this and the data car manufacturers are collecting.
