TPMS potential privacy issue

bah. I'd hardly be worried.

I'd be more concerned about cellular carriers' plans for GPS services on your phone...
 
It's a good thing the TPMS reads on a unique signal. Imagine driving down the road and receiving the throttle inputs from the vehicle next to you!
 
Yeah it's nothing to worry about really, just something to be aware of. I've never heard of any efforts to read the data from passing vehicles (yet.)

Cell phones are the easiest way to track someone these days.
 
This is annoying. It's more annoying than cell phones coming stock with unencrypted bluetooth on by default; at least you can easily turn the phone off. I really don't need tire pressure sensors that are shouting out "hey it's me <UNIQUE_ID>" all the time. It's really not necessary.
 
OMG! (wow) They are going to find out what tire pressure I run! That's proprietary! I'm gonna wrap my tires in tin-foil so they can't read it.
 
Zeya said:
This is annoying. It's more annoying than cell phones coming stock with unencrypted bluetooth on by default; at least you can easily turn the phone off. I really don't need tire pressure sensors that are shouting out "hey it's me <UNIQUE_ID>" all the time. It's really not necessary.
Click to expand...
Sure it is. The system wouldn't know it was working if it wasn't reporting all the time. And if it wasn't unique, well, you can see why it would be a problem.
 
Stu C said:
Sure it is. The system wouldn't know it was working if it wasn't reporting all the time. And if it wasn't unique, well, you can see why it would be a problem.
Click to expand...

Yeah, there does have to be that constant information flowing. But the only the car's ECU needs to process that information (mainly to throw a CEL). It doesn't need to leave the car over the airwaves for the purposes of my own safety or knowledge of tire pressure.

The part about the unique ID being broadcast outside of the vehicle was added by legislation, probably for law enforcement purposes. The theory probably is some dumb criminal knocks over a qwik-e-mart and a device somewhere catches the ID of his car. Now they can find him again later. That's actually pretty cool, come to think of it.

As for me personally, it's more the principle of the matter. For example, I shred my discarded mail (not junkmail, just actual stuff) in the off chance that there's some private information nestled somewhere. I use encryption on my wireless router at home. Anal stuff like that. The fact that my car is blurting out "ZOMG MY ID IS 0xLOLZ1257E" ten times a second is information that other people don't really need. How often is someone really collecting that information? Not often, if at all. Can that information really be used to identify me for identity theft? Not very easy to do. I'm not worried about this really, and I wouldn't so much as spend two dollars to stop the TPMS broadcast. Again, it's just the principle of the fact that information is needlessly leaving my car. That's all.
 
Well, you give the government a finger, they'll take your whole arm!!!!

Its starts with a senseless vehicle ID, then it moves onto speed (for speed enforcement), then travel patterns, etc, etc... We all know things get worst (more advanced) as time goes by.

Just like ECUs recording the last XX minutes of vehicle info so law enforcement knows if you were speeding before you hit that tree or E-Passes that track how fast you drive from toll to toll (though this one has not been approved yet as a speed enforcement tool).

Its just going to get worst people...

Just like you can track airplanes online... One day, you'll be able to track vehicles...

Its just a matter of time...

We might as well just get embedded with chips when we are born just so they can keep track of us...hmmm, that sounds more like tagging cattle or wildlife... Well, I guess thats all we are to the government...tax paying cattle...

OK, I'm done ranting... (rant)
(lol2)
 
You do realize the sensor package is the size of a small pack of gum, right?

The transmitter isn't going to have much power, and for those of you who remember their Physics (Faraday cage), the metal rim is in the way of most of the signal. By my estimation, a useful signal might extend only a couple feet out either side in a cone-shaped pattern.


As for the cellphone, if it's powered on, you can be triangulated. With a good portion of the population toting a cellular device, law enforcement/big brother already has a fairly reasonable tool to track you. Given the lengths that the government and telecom operators go to make each other's beds, I'd be more concerned about developments there...
 
Just wait until the new Insurance companies plans "Pay as you go" that plugs in a device into your OBD2 plug and monitors miles driven, speed, thottle inputs, abs, time driven etc etc. If they get there way, we are all F*&ked. We will all have to trade in the MS3s for Yaris'.
 
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