90rocz

The problem with inventions such as "OnStar" is that there is always 2 sides to the door.
In a few instances it might save a life, and they love playing on your fear by playing those 911 recordings.
As far as "LowJack" for theft, "thats what insurance is for"...
But! "BigBrother" can also use "OnStar" to invade your private life; know where you are, listen in on your conversations, shut you down for anything, etc..
**Basically, as any other method of control, it's always Hyped up to be "the best thing since sliced bread"!...just don't swallow...**
It's just another control device thought up by our basically Socialist Machine, "If it benefits the collective, lets get it"...

I love to quote Jurrasic Park III's leading man in these such examples, "Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with good intentions"....

There will always be someone or some organization to exploit a good intention...

Z28Wilson

This is the only "disadvantage" people bring up against OnStar...but I can assure you, the government would have a heck of an easier time looking at your very IP address right now and seeing where you are, what activities you do on the internet, what you are posting here, and so forth. Don't even get me started on the use of cell phones!

I really don't think you need to concern yourself with OnStar being used as a 21st Century spy weapon.

cmc

My IP address does not contain any information as to where I've been on the Internet. It does not particularly point at where I am, and they cannot search this forum unless they have administrator access granted by the owner (of this private forum).

To figure out all the places I've been they either need to gain access to my computer (requiring a warrant, theoretically), or they need to search the logs of every site on the Internet.

Z28Wilson

All that said, is OnStar really a threat to personal freedom, or at least more of a threat than anything else you do in your daily life? That was the point I was trying to make.

90rocz

You're right to a point, bills like so called "Patriot Act" and "Homeland Security"(similar to Hitlers' Duetschland Security)have basically made us a Millitary state and voided our Constitution...Whats another listening/GPS device like "OnStar" gonna hurt?...
You see, that's called "the Frog in the pot theory". You put a frog in a boiling pot of water, and he'll jump quickly out! BUT, if the water is cool and you put him in he stays while you gradually turn up the heat, by the time he realizes what's happening, IT'S TOO LATE!...You're being "desensitized"...
PS: I don't own a cell phone either, mostly B/C companies can make up their own rules about $$$ penalties and such, I got suckered once, but not again!..
Verizon said b/c I missed a payment(with ""only 3 months left"" on my contract) that I breeched contract and they charged me $150/phone(X2) and re-charged all of the promotional discounts I recieved, bringing the grand total to almost $1400!!!...
NEVER AGAIN!...

suprchrged400

I agree 90Rok on the frog in the pot thing. I am a life member of the NRA and to see the responses from general public, "oh, what's a 5 day waiting period going to hurt" and "why do we need to have assault weapons anyway" arguments that SEEM not to affect the general gun owner so his guard is let down. Get this, citizens get nailed with the 5 day brady bill waiting period but if you pay extra money, you can get an instant check!!! That shows how crooked the system is. I know as I have dealt with it at gun shows and shops. So, sure, beware of "good intentions" in general. As far as these sophisticated systems, I am a caveman and like it that way. I just received my first DVD player for Christmas and am for the "status Quo"- I like my same kind of day after day routine so I can't give an opinion of these gadgets although I wish they'd bring back rear wheel drive sports car's before I have to buy a ford crown vic to replace my caprice or a stang to replace my camaro(which I doubt since it's a weekend warrior, it should last a while).

Z28Marcus

Screw Easy Pass. Yet one more way for people who get hold of your presonal info. to commit electronic fraud.

I can see someone (i.e. criminal) in the car next to you with a scanner getting the same info you have then cloning your signal and selling it on via the internet. Much like credit card duplication fraud or wireless phone cloning (the phone companies don't like to talk about it). Encryption is breakable. The real high-grade soltutions are off limits for public use since the government does not want this stuff in the hands of just anyone.

Most people don't think of any of this until they are victims of fraud. And the more we spread our credit card numbers and bank details around and present more opportunities, the easier it gets for the criminals. And that's before you start considering the big brother angle.

So.. I have to stop at at toll booth. Big friggin' deal. What the hell is everyone's rush to get where they're going 30 seconds sooner? It's the same kind of madness that causes people to get behind the wheel of a car and tailgate like mindless lemmings, speed excessively, drive aggressively and recklessly causing the accidents on our roads that are genuine contributors to traffic delay and slowdown on the roads today.

But each to their own. I'll be the one tossing my coins in the basket whilst everyone is speeding by.

Z28Marcus

Uder the Patriot acts (I and II) the Govt. can now *really easily* enter your home while you're out, search and then leave. You will be none the wiser. Under these acts, for the Govt. to get access to search your home now is a simple matter of formality. Before these 'Patriot' acts, getting a search warrant was more involved, requiring solid evidence of a need to search and judges did not grant them so freely.

NEWBIE T/A

Don't know about the bypassing of the Brady Bunch bill, which is now defunct, but I agree w/ the "good intentions" portion.

On Star , or the memory chip in the car = rife w/ possibilities for abuse by the powers that be.

Oh, and George Orwellian hypocrisy/doublespeak is alive & well here in Texas - in '04 the new "Women's Right to Know" law kicks in.

Sounds innocent, right ?

WRONG !

It's a 24 hour waiting period on abortions !

http://www.news24houston.com/content...asp?ArID=21256

Basically, I tend to have very little respect for the ability of our local officials to watchguard our rights - we have to !


We now return you to the previously hi-jacked thread !


Britt

KLee

Hurry and bring those products out before I buy an Infinity or another DCX product.

Fbodfather

Hey ZMarcus -- I hear you for perhaps one or two tolls...but for anyone who has ever driven on the Garden State parkway (for one) where there's a toll every few miles, EZ Pass is a Godsend!

cmc

E-Z pass is nice (especially when work pays for it ), but no matter how you slice it, you *do* trade your privacy for some convenience by using it. Regardless of who has access to the data, it's people other than you, and therefore, no longer private.

Aeromaks

Yes, I love EZ-Pass, but yes, very easy to track how far you were going, and so forth, but in NJ, on these roads, and since I travel alot for work, it is a godsend, now if they only put Hi-Speed EZ Pass lanes everyware,

they have them in PA, and also on the Turnpike Extension, they have 40mph ezpass lanes.

and whoever says you do not need it, you are right, but it trully beats the heck out of waiting 15 mins for a guy in front of you to get change, etc, or the machine is jammed with coins, etc.

but they do send you tickets for going too fast through the toll lanes, and they dont even tell you, just charge your credit card.

pu12en12g

TraceZ

God help us all. I predict we will see a day where our cars report our speed and location at all times to a government agency, and if we speed it will bill our credit card directly. If you don't pay, or keep your registration current you car will be shut down remotely.

Give it 20 years, we are all frogs in hot water. We need to put our feet down. EZ pass could be good if it only added up charges and sent a bill. Why do they need my credit card number? Does it matter what time I went through the booth? Who cares which booth it was? Why not just collect the billing info, and forget about the other data?

It is a control thing, our government beurocrats know what is best for us all, and want control. Screw our freedom. Look at taxes... we pay and pay. on average we all work until MAY 6TH just to pay combined taxes (state, local, federal, realestate, capitol gains..)!! They take our money away from us, because it represents power. They (think they) know how to spend our money better than we do!! LET US KEEP IT! If I could keep more money, I would spend more, the economy would grow, people would get jobs and revenues would increase again. PLEASE lower our taxes. If I sold one of my duplexes the Gub-ment would take 40% of my prophit from it's sale. WHY?? Why are we being punnished like that?

Ok, i'm upset now.. Time to cool off, besides I'm off topic.
To top it off our current republican president has not vetoed a single spending bill yet. I voted for republicans because I wanted less spending. These jackasses have been spending at a rate greater than FDR, in fact this is the most spending in the history of the country! (I do like his tax cut, though) this economic boom we are currently enjoying is a result of said tax cut and massive government spending....

OK, now i'm really off topic, i'm out.