It's official: black boxes in all US cars by '08

[Goodspeed]

http://autos.aol.com/article/general/v2/...0109990001

Reason no. 564,329 why I'm moving to Canada

So they can continue to research "how and why" accidents happen? Thats such BS...like in the past half century they haven't examined that enough. How long before you're forced to install these in your old cars?

[.RJ]

Well you might as well adjust your tinfoil hat and move now, because most cars already have these "evil devices".

Dont you have to own a car to be worried about big brother watching over you behind the wheel?

[Dragon]

Well you might as well adjust your tinfoil hat and move now, because most cars already have these "evil devices".

Dont you have to own a car to be worried about big brother watching over you behind the wheel?

As long as you continue buying old busted pos cars you'll never have to worry about it.

[Goodspeed]

Rental cars and some GM cars. I don't rent cars, and i'll never buy a GM vehicle.

And about the no car thing....I have plans....oh yes....I have plans :wink:

[.RJ]

Rental cars and some GM cars

Thats not the only ones.... its more than you think, and using AOL as a news source is flaky at best.

And about the no car thing....I have plans....oh yes....I have plans :wink:

What plans? Hurry up and buy something

Did the bookshelf you stored all your SCC's on collapse, knocking over a lamp, lighting them all on fire?

[Goodspeed]

Haha no they are all safe and tucked away in sealed boxes. And...uhh...I have a grand total of zero dollars for a car (a decent, fun, trackable car...I'm a picker and a chooser). Maybe a year off to work will afford me something I can enjoy AND keep my dignity intact with (Mommy and Daddy aren't helping me at all and I don't want them to)

Back on topic: BE AFRAID!!! I'm waiting for G to step in with a masterfully written and shockingly accurate account of why this is the beginning of the end hock:

[white_2kgt]

A human designed the system, a human can disable the system, I'm not worried.

[BLINGMW]

yeah I'm not worried either. By the time I get around to buying an '08, no-one will pay then any mind what with the flying cars and ant overlords and all. And besides, if you're the innocent party in an accident, a black box will save your ass as much at it rats out the other guy. I think it'd be hot to have data determine who's fault it ACTUALLY was, right on the spot, instead of some undertrained officer and a court system that doesn't care enough to determine the truth unless someone's dead.

[GQROB]

Talkin about Black Boxes for cars.
I recently saw a device on a television show that plugs into a car computer recording info on how the car was driven. It is designed mainly for parents to keep an eye on there children.

Has anybody seen this chip/device? I didn't write down the info on it and if it isn't all that expensive, I would like to purchase one.
Reason: Just to keep an eye on how the car was driven while at a shop for repairs.

[Maengelito]

A human designed the system, a human can disable the system, I'm not worried.

you say that now, but when skynet goes online and then becomes self aware, we're in some deep shit. i havent seen terminator 3 yet so i cant tell you what we need to do in order to save ourselves.

[Maengelito]

Talkin about Black Boxes for cars.
I recently saw a device on a television show that plugs into a car computer recording info on how the car was driven. It is designed mainly for parents to keep an eye on there children.

Has anybody seen this chip/device? I didn't write down the info on it and if it isn't all that expensive, I would like to purchase one.
Reason: Just to keep an eye on how the car was driven while at a shop for repairs.

yeah, thats been out for several years. i forget what its called, but to me it seems like a teen would probably know more about how to use it and disable it than your average parent.

[Ginger]

So, uhm, what's the problem with it? It doesn't seem like a breach of privacy to me. Data recording evidence has to be held to a certain degree of pre-established accuracy requirements before it's certifiably admittable evidence in court, so don't think that cases are going to be won and lost on these things.. I don't see it as an invasion of privacy because it's recording operational inputs of a vehicle that you're driving on a public road. If it's a de-facto invasion, then so are redlight, and speeding cameras.

The Little Black Box isn't going to tell Big Brother every time your breech the speed limit, and it isn't going to send off daily reports on your driving habits. Storage capacity in these recorders is so limited (I recall hearing a five second figure tossed around once) that it's not even good for spying. Even if it's two days worth of driving, or a month, what does it matter? You're going to have the car longer than a month.

To me this seems like a great tool for establishing, proving details which can mean the difference of guilt or innocence in all sorts of traffic incidences. The courts can tell if you're lying about your impact speed, or if you really did apply the brakes when you thought about running the red light and hit the family with 3 kids... or if the other guy is lying. Or maybe a cop said you were speeding but didn't have a radar on your, a'la Kaan's disaster.... Go to the black box! "See, Officer? I was going the speed limit at that exact time - look, the logger says so."

It's not a national RFID tag, it's a tool, and it looks like a good one.

[white_2kgt]

The Little Black Box isn't going to tell Big Brother every time your breech the speed limit, and it isn't going to send off daily reports on your driving habits. Storage capacity in these recorders is so limited (I recall hearing a five second figure tossed around once) that it's not even good for spying. Even if it's two days worth of driving, or a month, what does it matter? You're going to have the car longer than a month.

How will you feel when they link BlackBox v2 and OnStar? Oh wait, they already did...I know a guy that was tracking a car w/ OnStar, it was recording his lateral G's and OnStar called him in the middle of a Track Session and asked him if he was ok...

[BLINGMW]

Has anybody seen this chip/device?

yes actually, they sell one of them at Sears, saw it a couple years ago. I think I also read a review of two different products, maybe in Consumer Reports a while ago. I think they're a neat idea.

i havent seen terminator 3 yet so i cant tell you what we need to do in order to save ourselves.

run down, mechanical injection and carbed BMW's were used to chase down and run over all the terminators, it was glorious! You should see it.

Wait....maybe that was a RB&V induced dream. :oops:

[Ginger]

How will you feel when they link BlackBox v2 and OnStar? Oh wait, they already did...I know a guy that was tracking a car w/ OnStar, it was recording his lateral G's and OnStar called him in the middle of a Track Session and asked him if he was ok...

And?

It's entirely possible that your friend didn't have the slightest clue about what the OnStar system was monitoring because he didn't read the documentation that came with it. It's also possible that they don't publish that stuff at all - but that isn't this and it's neither here nor there.

And yeah, it's feasible to abuse a tool like this... but this tool doesn't. Be aware of what you're dealing with and it doesn't seem like a problem.

[white_2kgt]

How will you feel when they link BlackBox v2 and OnStar? Oh wait, they already did...I know a guy that was tracking a car w/ OnStar, it was recording his lateral G's and OnStar called him in the middle of a Track Session and asked him if he was ok...

And?

It's entirely possible that your friend didn't have the slightest clue about what the OnStar system was monitoring because he didn't read the documentation that came with it. It's also possible that they don't publish that stuff at all - but that isn't this and it's neither here nor there.

And yeah, it's feasible to abuse a tool like this... but this tool doesn't. Be aware of what you're dealing with and it doesn't seem like a problem.

That wasn't the point. You were saying it only had enough memory for a few seconds of data, my car has this now. Combine current tech w/ the onstar ability and you just found unlimited data. See the point? It's like a house of cards, knock over one, and the rest keeps crashing down.

[Ginger]

That wasn't the point. You were saying it only had enough memory for a few seconds of data, my car has this now. Combine current tech w/ the onstar ability and you just found unlimited data. See the point? It's like a house of cards, knock over one, and the rest keeps crashing down.

I saw that point, but I don't think that it's a domino effect like you do.

I addressed that they could store up to a month... and what if they do? Yes, the technology absolutely exists to track you everywhere and store it... but that doesn't mean that it's getting used. The national black box isn't attached to a system that will send off reports, and aside from the fact that I don't think it's a cost feasible situation to put those features in place in every car I think that it's a different situation entirely.

If the equipment were being used by authorities the way OnStar has demonstrated that they use it then I would be concerned. However, I don't see our legal system allowing that at all. We've got the technology to do a lot of things that we don't do. In this instance, a device produced by independent companies, installed and used by yet other independent vehicle manufacturers, and finally, observed by every mechanic, shadetree mechanic, electrcian and rocket scientist that's even taken a peek under the hood of their own car - it would be impossible to slip a device like that past a blind eye. If somehow the transmitting, tracking black box were mandatorily slipped through our legal system and installed in every car in America then it wouldn't be long before folks knew about it and we started seeing a group of pissed off people rally against it.