In a dispute over a repair law, Subaru and Kia crippled their own wireless features in Massachusetts. Maine could be next.
I mean, I think the only proper response to this is just a boycott or a straight ban on companies that do that in the states. It would let smaller companies slide in, or other competitors take over. Currently it’s a contest between the two companies and their customers, just don’t buy if they don’t have the features, companies will either revert the decision or pull out of the regions.
The solution is strong regulation. Just completely disallow things like this.
This is the true answer here.
Government doing it’s job and regulating companies to prevent anti-consumer practices and hostile design.
I agree. There’s not like hundreds of unknown car manufacturers just waiting for this privacy opportunity to strike so they make it big, who can then ramp up production to meet the need… There’s no way free market principles can provide a solution in this case
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a boycott actually work. We need to force them with regulation or other means.
In the States at least there are far too many dumb consumers for any meaningful boycott. I think we’ll have to rely on the EU to save us, as usual.
This is really sad. We should be organizing to save ourselves.
Don’t buy stupid cars. Problem solved.
You got it backwards.
Do buy stupid cars! Smart cars are the problem.
Hence why I bought a manual with no connectivity or IoT toys. It’s a car, let me drive
FTFY
Now that SOME cars are like smartphones, we don’t really own them
Do you really think this won’t be the norm in 5-10 years? Now it’s some, in a few years OP is right, so why bother with your argument that not all cars are like this at the moment?
The EU has laws around data collection that will make this impossible. Under EU law you can request to have your data deleted and companies have to comply. This stupid idea only works if you allow it or buy into it. So no it will not be the norm in 5+ time. There may be more of it, but there will always be a cop out option.
There will also be markets that will retrofit devices that they want to hold under subscriptions. . It will not be long before someone hacks the crazy Mercedes BS sub just to make your car accelerate faster. Which moron buys that shit anyways.
