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posted by janrinok on Friday August 23 2019, @06:23PM   Printer-friendly
from the cue-music:-"I-always-feel-that-somebody's-watching-me" dept.

Mercedes spies on drivers by secretly installing tracking devices in cars and passing information to

Submitted via IRC for FatPhil

Mercedes has sparked a privacy row by admitting it spies on drivers with tracking devices covertly installed in its cars. The secret sensors, fitted to all new and used motors sold by the firm's dealers, pinpoint the vehicle's exact location.

The firm sold more than 170,000 new cars in Britain alone last year. Mercedes will not say how long it has used the sensors. And it insists they are only activated in "extreme circumstances" — when finance customers have defaulted on their payments.

But it admits sharing car owner information and vehicle location details with third-party bailiffs and recovery firms who repossess the cars.

Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/9756250/mercedes-spies-drivers-tracking-devices/

Mercedes-Benz Tracking Down Customer Cars For Repossession: Report

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow3196

British publication The Sun, a sometimes terrible and occasionally entertaining tabloid across the pond, is reporting that concerns are boiling among human rights groups, former government ministers, and some legal experts about Mercedes-Benz using vehicle location data to track down customers who default on their finance program payments.

Source: https://jalopnik.com/brits-are-pissed-about-mercedes-benz-tracking-down-cust-1837449509

See also:


Original Submission #1Original Submission #2

 
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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 23 2019, @10:00PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 23 2019, @10:00PM (#884380)

    I want to rip all the electronics of that crap out of any car I drive.

    Just bought a new car and would be happy if I could just turn off all the things that beep at me. Seriously, every little action results in some kind of high-pitched beep. Just opening the rear liftgate/door and BEEEEP! Start car with driver door shut, open/close said door and BEEP BEEP BEEP. Open same door with car in neutral CONSTANT BEEEEEEEEEEEP. Open sunroof, one short beep. Close sunroof, two short beeps (WTF?!). And for the love of god, don't you dare take off your seatbelt before the car comes to a complete stop or it will beep the fuck out of you with the dial cranked to eleven! Pulling into a parking stall results in a solid tone once you are within ~5 feet of the car/wall in front of you (it's too sensitive), same for reversing. Driving down the road and bobble the lane divider? BEEEEEEEP_WAKETHEFUCKUP_BEEEEEP! Car ahead of you slowing down faster than you are? SOUND THE ALARM! So fucking annoying!

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 23 2019, @11:05PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 23 2019, @11:05PM (#884402)

    While some cars are worse than others, please tell me which horror this is.. so I can not even bother with a test drive...

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @03:41AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @03:41AM (#884543)

      2018 Toyota Rav4