this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2024
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Privacy

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How to get a private car (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

Hello internet users. Someone in my family is looking to buy a car and wanted some recommendations for a private one. They are looking to buy new, and need Android Auto and CarPlay. I know all new cars suck for privacy by default, but I was hoping someone here could offer some insight as to which cars can be made better and what cars offer the best experience with minimal compromises on privacy and no subscription bs. I also have a Home Assistant instance that they can access remotely if there are any cars that can work well with that.

Edit: Android auto and CarPlay aren't as important as I thought.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I don't understand why everyone seems to be latching on to carplay and android auto in this thread as if it's the car stealing your data. All carplay and android auto do is take a video feed from your phone an display it on the car's screen. You still have the privacy issues, but it's not the car doing anything, they're the same as if you had a dumb car and google maps up on your phone in a phone mount.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Most are missing the point. You’re right, running AA or CP is akin to just using your phone with a vent mount, albeit arguably safer. The privacy issues come with things like OnStar and similar services that connect back to the manufacturer. As someone already pointed out it doesn’t sound like there’s a way to remove OnStar, but some others might be removeable, or not available in cheaper models.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Your faith in the safety of allowing your car and your phone the opportunity to share data with each other is touching, but until I see the source code I will remain unconvinced that it isn't a bad idea.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

In most cars the telemetry data is stored in a separate computer outside of your head unit. There's minimal communication between the head unit and the telemetry box. In the case of my Subaru there's 0 communication, the telematics box just does or doesn't pass audio to the front speakers. You can also read through the documentation on Carplay and AA. Last I saw there was nothing that allows for any real communication between your head unit and the phone outside of the audio and video signal. Carplay 2 may change things

Being paranoid for paranoia's sake isn't productive. All it does is scare off people who may be interested but aren't willing to cut out every single convenience from their lives.