this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2025
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A Boring Dystopia

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Elon Musk uses cybertruck explosion to show Tesla can remotely unlock and monitor vehicles (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 week ago by itsathursday@lemmy.world to c/aboringdystopia@lemmy.world
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https://www.404media.co/elon-musk-uses-cybertruck-explosion-to-show-tesla-can-remotely-unlock-and-monitor-vehicles/

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[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 164 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

From TFA:

Elon Musk remotely unlocked the Cybertruck for law enforcement and provided video from charging stations that the truck had visited to track the vehicle’s location

Wow... Telsa remote controls your car and watches everything you do with your car.

...with YOUR car.

Dystopia much?

Yet another reason not to buy a Tesla. Although in fairness, all cars are privacy nightmares nowadays. It's just that most manufacturers, being less stupid and less in-your-face than Musk, try to stay low-key about the privacy invasion and don't go around showing off their dystopian oversight capabilities over your property.

[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 41 points 1 week ago (2 children)

This isn't surprising at all to anyone paying attention to what the Tesla app lets you do with your vehicle, or if they have interacted with Tesla support. All of that info is available in the app, including viewing not only live camera feeds from sentry mode, but also saved recordings from the USB drive installed in the vehicle now. Clearly if you can do that from the app, the company can do that and more.

Similar stuff is almost surely possible with any of the other manufacturers that have mobile apps with similar functionality as well.

Hell, shit like OnStar had similar functionality to remotely unlock vehicles before Tesla even existed.

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 21 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Yeah but the crucial bit of difference was, if you thought OnStar was too invasive, you could turn it off or buy a car without it.

Good luck buying a car that isn't online and snitching on you all the time, or disabling the telemetry today.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I've wondered how hard it would be to turn off the cellular radio if you really cared enough.

I would suspect though that if you connected the car to your phones internet though it'd do all the snitching stuff that was queued. You'd probably need some sort of firewall on the phone blocking the cars communication, while still letting you play music.

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 week ago

I’ve wondered how hard it would be to turn off the cellular radio if you really cared enough.

You can but it's not that simple: my neighbor found the antenna for his car's spyware transmitter in the side-view mirror (can't remember which car), cut the wire, and almost immediately, the dashboard reported a fault and started bitching and moaning that the car needed servicing.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

This is why those of us who actually are paying attention have been planning to continue driving our 2000s-and-older cars indefinitely.

[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah but the crucial bit of difference was, if you thought OnStar was too invasive, you could turn it off

You can disable your own access to the service. Short of ripping out the cellular module, you can't disable OnStar's access.

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

What I mean was you can not subscribe to OnStar, and then you don't have OnStar no more. The spying hardware is there, just not used.

As opposed to modern cars with which you don't subscribe to anything and they spy on you without your consent, and there's nothing you can do about it short of - like you said - ripping out the spying hardware.

[–] IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

OnStar freaked me out after an accident in a rental car a few years ago. We had no idea the rental car had it. We got rear ended by a drunk driver and spun 360 degrees off the road. Within a second or two of coming to a stop a voice was asking if we were ok.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Are you... are you god? Am I dead?

[–] Goun@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

YOUR car? I don't think you're understanding this correctly..

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It sure looks like it was my money that flew from my bank account to the dealer's.

[–] WarlordSdocy@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

No you misunderstand you're actually purchasing a lease to car as a service, of course you don't really own it.

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Well, according to Musk, if I buy a Tesla car, I'm actually purchasing (or leasing, you're probably factually correct) a robotic AI.

Because ya know... Elon Musk.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

My impression is the charging stations have cameras to deter and catch thieves. Tesla isn't looking at your camera feeds unless you've enabled the right data sharing setting, in which case I imagine they could. Otherwise the charging stations / video comment is pointless because they could have watched the driver the entire way, not just at the stations.

Edit: Also the sharing of camera feeds if enabled, I'm pretty sure is only the external cameras, not the cabin camera.

And yes if you go to a charging station, of course they know you were there and can track your path between stations. You use a credit card when you're at them and it authenticated your vehicle.

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Right, but those were the external cameras and they had data sharing on.

If the car is getting data about how to park in a garage, and you have data sharing on, you might send it video of you parking your car in your garage.

Edit: Oh but this part isn't good, but it sounds like they stopped - One ex-employee also said...Tesla would receive video recordings from its vehicles even when they were off, if owners gave consent. It has since stopped doing so.

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It has since stopped doing so.

If you believe them.
I don't.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago

With Tesla you can opt out. Other brands that do the same generally have no way to opt out

It's part of the current trend to not let you be the final decision maker on IT equipment you own. Your phone does all it can to prevent you getting root access. Your home computer/laptop has a second processor in it running code you can't change to enforce DRM

[–] seathru@lemmy.sdf.org 36 points 1 week ago

GM has been remotely unlocking cars and harvesting their geolocation data (via onstar) since the mid 2000's. Elon is late to the party.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 20 points 1 week ago (1 children)

How exactly is this information helpful to law enforcement in this case?

[–] itsathursday@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I think the main motivation here was to find the suspect and disprove that the truck exploded due to fault or defect. Elon was saving his brands image here and 0 to do with national security or public interest.

[–] anachronist@midwest.social 19 points 1 week ago

"Everyone may be surprised to learn that our car didn't just explode on its own. We can prove it using the spy camera recordings we have of the owner!"

[–] psud@aussie.zone 2 points 1 week ago

I'm impressed it was still online and able to be remote unlocked after that explosion and fire

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago (2 children)

So a guy is found shot in the head of a car that advertises self driving features and nobody’s got their tin foil on?

[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Wait the guy was dead from gunshot not the explosion? I’m OOTL

[–] SL3wvmnas@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 1 week ago

this CBS article provides a pretty good overview about the known facts to date. While it looks like a camping trip gone wrong, the whole timing is just weird.

[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 3 points 1 week ago

He's already in a tin can :p

[–] orcrist@lemm.ee 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

When does Tesla assume liability? They'll be sued soon enough. The more data they analyze, the more they're responsible for, for example, stopping bad drivers, or catching terrorists installing bombs. But they won't want to feel that heat, now will they.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Car manufacturer neutrality legislation incoming.

[–] NocturnalEngineer@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

With more driver assistance features taking vehicle autonomy, I'm honestly surprised they haven't tried to push for this yet.

[–] ClanOfTheOcho@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (3 children)

So, was entering the exploded vehicle an extreme difficulty without the remote unlock, then? Because I don't think it was, exploded or not.

[–] Lodespawn@aussie.zone 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Prius' used to have a problem in that the main power feed ran through the A pillar so emergency services couldn't cut you out of it without killing themselves. Bit of a different situation though.

I would have thought an average locksmith could have opened it, and given its already exploded there probably wasn't a need to get it open quick via Tesla tech support. I'm surprised the radios providing telemetry and control even worked in a car that had exploded, particularly a car that appears to be riddled with issues like a cyber truck.

[–] FeloniousPunk@lemmy.today 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I’m guessing they unlocked his Tesla account, not the actual vehicle. Because there’s no way that thing was functional in any way.

[–] Lodespawn@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago

The article says they remotely unlocked the car, it says it a few times. I guess they must have implemented a well protected auxiliary battery for the radios phoning home. Seems like they really care about making sure their control survives.

[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Depends on what was damaged. Being able to unlock and open things like the frunk, tonneau cover, glovebox, etc. with a remote command is certainly easier than breaking them open, if they were still closed.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

They can be opened with a battery angle grinder. Remote unlock is quicker though

[–] recreationalcatheter@lemm.ee 9 points 1 week ago

Did Luigi get the right CEO?

[–] Zier@fedia.io 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Xelon likes to control people, he thinks he's powerful. If you let this psycho in your life, you deserve the exploitation you suffer. He's just a junkie with a lot of money.

[–] Pilferjinx@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

I wish we didn't fucking subsidize his capital. We're forced to suffer him.

[–] DogPeePoo@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago

Cybertruck sales 📉🔥

[–] index@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

Do your math: they know about it but lie publicly. Government knows it too and lie about it.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I don't even know why people are surprised... Would they flip out if they heard about OnStar, which was super common to see in most cars made in the mid to late 2000's/2010's? They could do the same thing. They GPS track the vehicle, can remotely shut it off, open doors/windows, etc. And I know Teslas advertise this kind of functionality, having worked there and seeing that shit in the dealer at the front of the plant.

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Would they flip out if they heard about OnStar, which was super common to see in most cars made in the mid to late 2000’s/2010’s?

You could opt out of OnStar. It was optional.

Can you opt out of the current car surveillance collective? I don't think so.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Just because you could choose not to subscribe to the service doesn't mean the car still can't be monitored or controlled by them and they very likely still collected data regardless.

[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 week ago

Unlikely.

You might be too young to remember this, but privacy used to be a thing people paid attention to, at least moderately, even in the naughties and early tens. If OnStar had been caught deliberately spying on people who specifically rejected their service, it would have been a major scandal.

Nowadays the new normal is that Big Data does pretty much whatever they want unabated, people pretend to believe their privacy policies, and when tech monopolies are caught red-handed doing shady shit, people shrug and change the channel. But it wasn't always like that.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

You can opt out of Tesla monitoring too, and if you do Tesla cannot remote connect to it.