FBI monitoring Onstar

[Slickone]

Link

Update: Newsweek pulled this article from their archives, and put out a correction this week, saying that it was not Onstar.
The company name actually cited by the federal lawsuit remains sealed, thus one can only speculate as to which of OnStar's competitors might have come under the FBI's surveillance efforts.


Also, I posted a different, but similar thread here.

 

[gigapet]

note to self.....dont get car with onstar.

 

[DanJ]

Yay; more snooping by the government!

 

[Sundog]

Yeah, for a criminal case. No different than wire taps or other forms of court sanctioned monitoring. Didn't surprise me.

The FBI found out about this passive listening feature and promptly served OnStar with a court order forcing the company to give it access. The court order the FBI gave OnStar was not something out of the Patriot Act involving international terrorism or national security but a simple criminal case.

 

[RedRooster]

Dang, I was almost thinking of getting a GM with all these bonus offers on right now, even one with OnStar. Granted, I'm up in Canada, so I doubt this would affect us, eh?

 

[oniq]

Originally posted by: RedRooster
Dang, I was almost thinking of getting a GM with all these bonus offers on right now, even one with OnStar. Granted, I'm up in Canada, so I doubt this would affect us, eh?

Does anything affect Canada?

 

[halik]

wow... and thats article by newsmax

 

[MikeMike]

who cares, its the FBI investigating a case. no different than a wire tap like mentioned. i mean, your car is on gov't property when on the interstate, or any road. so yea.

MIKE

 

[Anubis]

fusk onstar

 

[conjur]

sorta came up in here:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=52&threadid=1290321&arctab=arc&highlight_key=y&keyword1=onstar

But no details.

But, that thread does show how rental companies can nab you for speeding after the fact! :Q

 

[Slickone]

Originally posted by: RedRooster
Dang, I was almost thinking of getting a GM with all these bonus offers on right now, even one with OnStar. Granted, I'm up in Canada, so I doubt this would affect us, eh?

Onstar isn't just a GM thing. Don't most of the mfg's use Onstar now? Also I'm sure you know the per month charges.

 

[spidey07]

Crap.

<---remembers rental car in florida where I hit onstar emergency..."onstar is there an emergency?"..."YES!!! We need more cocktails!!!!!" "Sir, is there an emergency?" "Yes!!!! Need more cocktails stat!!!!"

I'll never forget that night.

ps - I wasn't driving.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: Slickone

Originally posted by: RedRooster
Dang, I was almost thinking of getting a GM with all these bonus offers on right now, even one with OnStar. Granted, I'm up in Canada, so I doubt this would affect us, eh?

Onstar isn't just a GM thing. Don't most of the mfg's use Onstar now? Also I'm sure you know the per month charges.

no...

 

[Gurck]

Onstar never appealed to me anyway *shrug*. Have to say the direction the government is using terrorism as an excuse to take is disturbing though

 

[GeekDrew]

Onstar IS just a GM thing... others tried to imitate it, but I can't remember what their products were, or why they failed.

I wouldn't mind having OnStar. The FBI wouldn't have any reason to listen to your car unless they're investigating you in relation to a case, in which case I'm sure they're also monitoring much more than just your car.

Besides, if you want, you could always disable or switch the mic. If you were in an accident their computers would still receive the diagnostic and/or deployment code.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Crap.

<---remembers rental car in florida where I hit onstar emergency..."onstar is there an emergency?"..."YES!!! We need more cocktails!!!!!" "Sir, is there an emergency?" "Yes!!!! Need more cocktails stat!!!!"

I'll never forget that night.

ps - I wasn't driving.

LMFAO

Cheers spidey07 :beer:

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: GeekDrew
Onstar IS just a GM thing... others tried to imitate it, but I can't remember what their products were, or why they failed.

I wouldn't mind having OnStar. The FBI wouldn't have any reason to listen to your car unless they're investigating you in relation to a case, in which case I'm sure they're also monitoring much more than just your car.

Besides, if you want, you could always disable or switch the mic. If you were in an accident their computers would still receive the diagnostic and/or deployment code.

Keep in mind that Onstar is much more than a cellphone to Onstar, it is also a GPS tracker, in effect the FBI knows where that car is at all times. Personally I find embedded GPS trackers available to law enforcement kinda scary.

 

Not surprising.

But this is just what you people want isn't it? A safe and sound police state?

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: GeekDrew
Onstar IS just a GM thing... others tried to imitate it, but I can't remember what their products were, or why they failed.

I wouldn't mind having OnStar. The FBI wouldn't have any reason to listen to your car unless they're investigating you in relation to a case, in which case I'm sure they're also monitoring much more than just your car.

Besides, if you want, you could always disable or switch the mic. If you were in an accident their computers would still receive the diagnostic and/or deployment code.

Keep in mind that Onstar is much more than a cellphone to Onstar, it is also a GPS tracker, in effect the FBI knows where that car is at all times. Personally I find embedded GPS trackers available to law enforcement kinda scary.

No contest there.

Most of the people I know that heard about the FBI using OnStar were more worried about them hearing conversations than they were about the FBI knowing vehicle location.

 

[thomsbrain]

well it does say that for now, they can't do it anymore. but that, combined with the ability for the police to use it to see how fast you were going in an accident or other uses, means i won't be buying a car with one. either that, or i will be pulling out its power cables first thing.

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
well it does say that for now, they can't do it anymore. but that, combined with the ability for the police to use it to see how fast you were going in an accident or other uses, means i won't be buying a car with one. either that, or i will be pulling out its power cables first thing.

Don't blame you there. My mother has it in her car, and she's always flying... she and dad like the comfort that OnStar provides in case of emergency tho.

Me, I'd disconnect it, if not for some of the hassles that may come with it...

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Not surprising.

But this is just what you people want isn't it? A safe and sound police state?

 

[Nebor]

I just don't think the federal government should have access to the properties of private companies. That's not what that network was constructed for, if the government wants to use it, needs to make it's own network and get poeple to sign up for it. Tapping phones should be illegal too.

 

[Grimbones]

Does anything affect Canada?

Curling.

 

[Babbles]

OnStar was started by GM. However Acura offers OnStar as well.