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UConnect and how it tracks you

24K views 49 replies 25 participants last post by  Kingleo49 
#1 ·
I have a 16 RT, and from what I have been reading, uConnect tracks and uploads each of your cars individual drives, and the exact route, location, time, date, speeds, etc...all sent and stored on a server connected to FCA. My understanding is that is uses a certain wireless signal sent over the sprint network to do this. Does anyone have an idea of how to defeat this? Can unplugging the purple plug on the back of the uconnect unit defeat this? Some of us value privacy and freedom here, and do not want to be tracked on principle.
 
#2 ·
If it really does send all that information, I'd want it stopped too. All of that info can be obtained by subpoena in any legal case, including criminal cases, lawsuits, and divorce and custody proceedings, and then used against you.
 
#3 ·
I have a 16 RT, and from what I have been reading, uConnect tracks and uploads each of your cars individual drives, and the exact route, location, time, date, speeds, etc...all sent and stored on a server connected to FCA. My understanding is that is uses a certain wireless signal sent over the sprint network to do this. Does anyone have an idea of how to defeat this? Can unplugging the purple plug on the back of the uconnect unit defeat this? Some of us value privacy and freedom here, and do not want to be tracked on principle.

Where did you read this? Post the source.
 
#4 ·
My understanding (from sales person) is that Uconnect only captures and records critical vehicle functions, not routes or speed data. The car is equipped with a "black box" that records speed, etc, but that stays local and can be used in the event of a mishap.
 
#5 ·
tin foil hat time
 
#8 ·
Police tracking you using license plate readers - https://www.aclu.org/feature/you-are-being-tracked

Local, State and Federal LEOs, and the NSA tracking you using your cell phone - Meet the machines that steal your phone?s data | Ars Technica

It's getting ridiculous, this invasion of privacy all in the supposed name of "protection from terrorists". A Maryland Court of Appeals in March of this year has fired the first judicial salvo back at the Government and States setting standards for which such Stingray devices may be used, and seriously calling into question the use of covert devices by LEOs...

...and yet the FBI and NSA continue to fly such devices over cities like Washington DC culling cellphone data from all of us...

Yea, joke about tin foil hats...but the paranoia is well deserved.
 
#9 ·
...f'in Obama!
 
#11 ·
I don't know why it would do all that if you can't actually use the information. For example, you cannot use your phone to track your car in real time - you can only capture places it's been or still is. You cant actually track it live driving down the road.
Sometimes it's just dead wrong too; one time I checked out my wife to see if she'd left the store yet and it showed the car back in our garage - while she was still at the store.
If they're using it for some kind of data collection, it isn't very useful.
 
#16 ·
What, really?

Knowing exactly where somebody has been, and what times, how often, and what routes they travel, is not useful, just because it might not be in real time? Do you think if somebody wanted to find you and arrest you, serve papers, sell you something, or hell even assassinate you, that info might be useful?

If you don't think that is useful information, you're not very imaginative.
 
#13 ·
F'ing Bush and his surveillance programs and F'ing Obama for not getting rid of them and F'ing sissy American sheep for allowing it in the first place!

Or like all the sheep said when it started after 9/11, "You don't need to worry, if you have nothing to hide".

I don't always break the law but when I do, I drive a pre-OBD equipped car. :D
 
#15 ·
FCA has already admitted to this basically 3rd party tracking, the proof came from a hacker originally, I don't have the source, it's just what I've read various places. I know it to be true because the big 3 automakers all have admitted to this. Ford was even extremely blunt about it.

So no relavent info here on how to defeat this system. Not surprising. I see many of you don't mind as well. People like this are why our freedoms are being eroded daily. It won't be long before when someone breaks the speed limit the police are automattically notified by your car and a ticket issued to you through the mail. It's coming. No smart phone here, so they can't track me though those means either. I've found the dual wifi antennas on each side of the car, under the rear quarter windows. That's how it's transmitting, pretty much guaranteed. Unplugged both of those, and the purple data connection on the back of the uconnect, that should defeat it's ability to transmit it's data. F you FCA.
 
#20 ·
Just a thought, not a political one, just a societal one. I have to shake my head every time I hear or read "what have you got to hide". Personally, I have nothing to hide but I do have something to protect. My privacy. It's sad how many would throw away their heritage of liberty and self determination and be willing to become drones of their masters and submit to constant watchful eyes ensuring compliance with whatever law or regulation they deem necessary to impose. If I'm on an empty straight road in broad daylight with an artificially low speed limit of 45, on a road designed for 60 and I decide to go 55, I consider that to be prudent. Some would say I broke the law and they would have no problem with devices installed that report my every move. I would consider it being an American capable of making my own choices. I'm against any Big Brother device no matter how "safe" it claims to make us. That risk is the price of freedom.
 
#22 ·
Well heres my experince with tracking. My 15 chally is my 3rd fun vehicle that i drive on weekends. My insurance is lower due to not my dailly driver and i have to keep mileage under 7500 a year. Well few months ago i get a letter from state farm saying my policy is going up i drove more than 7500 in a year. So i called my agent and he said they use 3rd party tracking thru uconnect to get my info and mileage. Wtf he also stated soon they will be able to track your driving habits and adjust ins to reflect.. wtf were is our freedom going? Will be gone soon and what made america great will be gone to.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Look, if the "authorities" want to find you, they sure can. Fill out a tax return with your address? How about using any kind of debit/credit card? That can be tracked and locations approximated. How about any public wi-fi? Buy a plane ticket? Or use the internet at all?
Basically, what I'm saying is that unless you truly go "off the grid" there are telltale signs of where you have been. The Sierra Wireless cell radio embedded in our cars checks into the local towers periodically and has a unique Mobile Device Number on it, so yes it can be tracked. Just like your cell phone. Any operating cell phone.
My guess is that FCA uses the UC to collect anonymous operating info on our cars to assist them in building a large database of info, so that they can improve the vehicles. I've read that one their competitors does just that as well, especially on new models to see if there is any premature field failure trends. They use this data to issue TSBs to thwart possible failures. Good idea actually.
I value my privacy greatly, but I can't live off the grid in a cabin in Montana just yet. So until then...
 
#27 ·
Before the thread gets closed interesting stuff here. I would have bet that this does not happen in real time but I went to the university of google and looked at the onstar system that GM uses. The source is cartech.about.com to qoute "Each onstar system that is installed as orignial equipment is capable of gathering data from both the OBD-2 system and built in GPS system...CDMA cellular technology is used for both voice and data transmissions (for example how the system summons help in an accident)...Onstar is also capable of transmitting data from the OBD-2 (via CDMA through onstar). This can allow OnStar to TRACK YOUR MILAGE FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES. The system does not do this if you are not a subcriber to onstar (requires a monthly fee). It is another way the company can track if there is a mechanical/electrical issue developing with your car before it is obvious. It is considered a feature.

Politics aside. You pay a monthly fee which includes the data transmission from the OBD data recording. The car company can then turn around and sell this data to the insurance company or anyone else it wants to.
 
#29 ·
I wasn't not trying to be political, I mentioned a President from each party and illustrated that the people themselves were for this. I was called all kinds of things when I opposed the Patriot Act and spoke out about it being a government power grab. I also was outspoken against the TSA and the formation of DHS. Everyone seemed to value comfort over freedom, and if you give up Freedom for comfort, you deserve neither! Benjamin Franklin paraphrase....
 
#32 ·
I got that from your post and I agree with you and almost quoted Benjamin Franklin's liberty for security quote in a prior post. Scott misconstrued what I was saying as impugning past generations. My father also served in WWII. They were a patriotic generation. But as you point out and as I tried to, folks from current generations are so willing to throw away what people fought for over the past 200 plus years instead of thinking through the consequences.
 
#35 ·
Lets not forget the Satellites flying around us...... If I remember correctly these little guys could read your newspaper while you are sitting on a park bench back in the 70's. It's too late to piss and moan about your freedoms or privacy as they have been long gone for some time in which most cases you dont know it yet.

Good examples are

Social Security Numbers
Voting
Tax Filing
Cell Phone
Credit Cards
Internet
Military service
Federal service
State service
Any convictions of law
Passports
Flying

It was amazing the information I could get when I was a cop in the military back in the 80's. It was called AFLETS and I could find out your date of enlistment, date of birth, your SSN, all of your assignments, rank, place of birth, and even the high school you attended.

Scary??? yes sir it is....

We have been Borged and have been assimilated already. You got to love the free country we have!!
 
#42 ·
Can unplugging the purple plug on the back of the uconnect unit defeat this?
- YES. However, you MIGHT get a 911 error when the car starts due to the mirror checking for resistance on the plug. You can just click ok, wait a few second and it goes away, or buy or make an adapter for the error.

All this extra in the this thread....SMH. Be useful, his reasons for doing it are HIS and HIS ALONE!
 
#43 ·
You ain't seen nothing yet. I bet in the future newborns will have micro chips implanted so "Big Brother " can track you from day one. Sadly, our right to privacy is no longer a right.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk
 
#44 ·
Privacy? What's that? But I definitely don't want those damned speed cameras the Brits have. I have driven over there. No tickets, but maybe they don't bother rental cars, but the damned things are everywhere. We already have use of cameras in traffic signals for people running lights.

But the driverless car is coming! Then nobody will speed. Perhaps only a select few will have cars. And fewer than that will have real cars which will be limited to track use only. Most people will stop caring about cars at all. I can drive down the street now in a 64 Dart or 73 Charger and get completely ignored most days!
 
#46 ·
You just said it all right there. Our government has instilled fear in its citizens to get them to comply so they can control and limit them.
Laws are passed without our knowledge and consent by our government and yes our rights are slowly eroding away every year.
Fines and fees are through the roof with any government entity and you bet your sweet ass you will be thrown in jail ten times faster than you would 30 years ago.
The rebellious today have no discipline, no morals, and only think of themselves.
Freedom??? It doesnt really exist anymore but you go ahead and sit on your couch, watch tv, and believe everything you see on it.
 
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#47 ·
You hit all the right points there. Literally thousands of new regulations every year with the force of law but which did not go through the legislative process. People violating those regs without knowing because it's impossible for anyone to know about all the new laws and regs. Back in the mid 1970s I was in law enforcement for a few years. Back then we would not have even thought about arresting people for what they make arrests on today. The attitude then was not to make an arrest unless it's absolutely necessary or the act was malicious. Today it seems that's the first course of action whether someone had malice or was just goofing around. If it's a technical violation of the law, throw 'em in the hoosegow. I live out in the sticks. I had a neighbor charged with a felony for pelting a stray viscous dog with a bb gun when it tried to attack his elderly wife. That would never have happened not long ago.
 
#48 ·
its all downhill from here. Someday our Grandchildren will be telling theirs how you used to own a car. We are tge lucky ones...even if they can track us.

I do think that the guy who went over 7500 miles was more likely found by vehicle inspection mileage, assuming nearly all states inspect now. Funny, i paid insurance the last four years on a Dart that hasnt moved and they havent complained! In MA i'd have to take the wheels off it to get it covered by homeowners in a garage fire so i just havent bothered to cancel.
 
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