OnStar to Stop Cars Remotely
I’m not sure this is a good idea:
Starting with about 20 models for 2009, the service will be able to slowly halt a car that is reported stolen, and the radio may even speak up and tell the thief to pull over because police are watching.
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Then, if officers see the car in motion and judge it can be stopped safely, they can tell OnStar operators, who will send the car a signal via cell phone to slow it to a halt.
“This technology will basically remove the control of the horsepower from the thief,” Huber said. “Everything else in the vehicle works. The steering works. The brakes work.”
GM is still exploring the possibility of having the car give a recorded verbal warning before it stops moving. A voice would tell the driver through the radio speakers that police will stop the car, Huber said, and the car’s emergency flashers would go on.
Anyone want to take a guess on how soon this system will be hacked?
At least, for now, you can opt out:
Those who want OnStar but don’t like police having the ability to slow down their car can opt out of the service, Huber said. But he said their research shows that 95 percent of subscribers would like that feature.
This is a tough trade-off. Giving the good guys the ability to disable a car, as long as it can be done safely, is a good idea. But giving the bad guys the same ability is a really bad idea. Can we do the former without also doing the latter?
David • October 11, 2007 2:20 PM
Don’t worry, it will work itself out. GM will advertise the system to be perfectly safe. Eventually someone will hack it and cause all sorts of problems. It’s possible someone will get seriously hurt or killed by the system, whether by hacker or OnStar doesn’t really matter, and GM will be sued for big bucks. And they’ll withdraw the offering. Simple.