Renault Will Remotely Lock Down Electric Cars
It’s an open secret that the average driver seems to ignore - our ’drivable computers’ - a.k.a our CARS - are totally hackable and subject to outside control. These technological advancements are not installed to suit our needs, but the designs of others (industry, the state, intelligence agencies, or criminal factions for example).All this is not a surprise to those who suspect death-by-hacking in the case of provocative journalist Michael Hastings who died in an fiery crash earlier this year which some suspect was the result of his car being manipulated.
SEE: Red Ice Creations - Was Michael Hastings Murdered?
In fact, people must spread the word that such tech is NOT in the consumer’s best interest, and vehicles which could become remotely controlled death traps are NOT something that we need, or want, or are willing to pay for.
More on the dangerous Renault changes...
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Renault will remotely lock down electric cars
By Gerloff | Karsten on Free Software
For a long time, cars were a symbol of freedom and independence. No longer. In its Zoe electric car, car maker Renault apparently has the ability to remotely prevent the battery from charging. And that’s more chilling than it sounds.
When you buy a Renault Zoe, the battery isn’t included. Instead, you sign a rental contract for the battery with the car maker. In a Zoe owner’s forum, user Franko30 reports that the contract contains a clause giving Renault the right to prevent your battery from charging at the end of the rental period. According to an article in Der Spiegel, the company may also do this when you fall behind on paying the rent for the battery.This means that Renault has some way of remotely controlling the battery charging process. According to the Spiegel article, the Zoe (and most or all other electric cars) collect reams of data on how you use them, and send this data off to the manufacturer without your knowledge. This data tells the company where you are going, when, and how fast, where you charge the battery, and many other things besides. We already knew that Tesla was doing this with its cars since the company’s very public spat with a journalist who reviewed one of their cars for the New York Times. Seeing the same thing in a mass market manufacturer like Renault makes clear just how dangerous this trend is.
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If there is a mechanism to remotely control what your car does, some will make use of this mechanism at some point. This could be the manufacturer, shutting down your car as you fall behind on the battery rent because you just lost your job, meaning that it becomes harder for you to find work. It could be the government, compelling the manufacturer to do its bidding. In his forum post, Franko30 predicts that at some point, governments may simply ask car manufacturers to block charging near controversial political events (e.g. a G8 summit), in order to prevent you from participating in demonstrations. Or it could be any random criminal out there, gaining access to this mechanism by bribing a Renault employee.
Read the full article at: fsfe.org
