Block Big Brother

[Zzbully]

I’m not one to be taken in by conspiracy theories or over paranoia but I don’t like that Ford (and potentially hackers) could access my vehicle’s electronics to do everything that Ford Pass can do (turn my Bronco on/off, unlock, access my location and diagnostics). Most of the time these features are convenient but I would like to choose when these features and information is made available to Ford and others. Yes I know there are software toggles for location services but I suspect Ford could remotely enable if they wanted to. Anyone know of a way of physically disabling/shielding the antenna that would prevent this access? I’d rather not permanently disable it but have a manual switch to toggle it. Thanks

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[Newbie]

 

[Superds]

Unplug the modem module behind/right side of the glovebox. No connected features work when unplugged.

 

[Red Dawn]

Greeting,
Hackers have had the capability for the last 10 years regardless of the vehicle type. Is there a reason why someone would want to hack your vehicle?

 

[V1Rotate]

I’m not one to be taken in by conspiracy theories or over paranoia but I don’t like that Ford (and potentially hackers) could access my vehicle’s electronics to do everything that Ford Pass can do (turn my Bronco on/off, unlock, access my location and diagnostics). Most of the time these features are convenient but I would like to choose when these features and information is made available to Ford and others. Yes I know there are software toggles for location services but I suspect Ford could remotely enable if they wanted to. Anyone know of a way of physically disabling/shielding the antenna that would prevent this access? I’d rather not permanently disable it but have a manual switch to toggle it. Thanks

Very similar to leading an offensive statement with "No offense but" haha

You're better off just buying an 86 F150, throwing your cell phone in the river and heading into the woods Jeremiah Johnson style

 

[HighVelocity]

I’m not one to be taken in by conspiracy theories or over paranoia

This can be cured by taking an oxblood filled ice bath while wrapped in tinfoil lit by candlelight during a new moon while playing "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell.

 

[EasternSierra]

Greeting,
Hackers have had the capability for the last 10 years regardless of the vehicle type. Is there a reason why someone would want to hack your vehicle?

Probably not the vehicle of any one ordinary person, but more of a malicious attack directed generally, including via a hack directly into Ford.

 

[BlueWaffle]

This can be cured by taking an oxblood filled ice bath while wrapped in tinfoil lit by candlelight during a new moon while playing "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell.

I've found that this method also helps with nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach and diarrhea..

Suck it pepto bismol. We going holistic up in this bitch

 

[contented]

OP, your question is one that’s been discussed many times here. Search a bit and you’ll find them. Basically, there’s two camps - one that I’ll call privacy inclined and they don’t want OTA updates or anything. The other group, that includes me, believes if you have a cell phone you’re being tracked continuously. That’s how apple and google give you traffic updates. If you have credit cards and use them, they leave a trail of what/when/where you buy anything. Cable tv, everything you watch is tracked. Use YouTube or Google or any search engine, same thing. Go to a doctor? Everything about you goes into a national database. Insurance of any kind, same thing. So I don’t worry about my car. The horse has been out of the barn for a long time.

You just have to follow your own personal beliefs and do what works for you. BTW, welcome to the forum.

 

[Valhalla]

Wait I need my tinfoil hat if I use the oxblood? Can I just use Psilocybin in place of both for convenience? To the OP Just watch into the wild. Oh, and if there is no cell reception there can be no hacking!!

 

[Zzbully]

Greeting,
Hackers have had the capability for the last 10 years regardless of the vehicle type. Is there a reason why someone would want to hack your vehicle?

Is there a rational reason someone would want to create a software virus? Not saying it’s likely but given the choice I’d prefer to remove the option and all the emissions non-sense while they’re at it.
I’m really not looking for opinions, comedy nor commentary just technical advice. I really used to enjoy this forum and find the content helpful but searching for a technical answer among a majority of people who think they are being funny is exhausting.

 

[Superds]

Here’s a couple more threads to help in your journey:

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...g-your-driving-data.98785/page-4#post-2309788

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/pulling-telematics-modem-fuse-20-under-dash.92903/page-3

One of these, iirc, explains how to unplug the modem. I read them a while ago so not fresh in my memory.

 

[I_Fly]

OP, your question is one that’s been discussed many times here. Search a bit and you’ll find them. Basically, there’s two camps - one that I’ll call privacy inclined and they don’t want OTA updates or anything. The other group, that includes me, believes if you have a cell phone you’re being tracked continuously. That’s how apple and google give you traffic updates. If you have credit cards and use them, they leave a trail of what/when/where you buy anything. Cable tv, everything you watch is tracked. Use YouTube or Google or any search engine, same thing. Go to a doctor? Everything about you goes into a national database. Insurance of any kind, same thing. So I don’t worry about my car. The horse has been out of the barn for a long time.

You just have to follow your own personal beliefs and do what works for you. BTW, welcome to the forum.

Good start but you forgot a few things. On the vehicle side it is well know that TPMS sensors have a unique ID and transmit while the vehicle is being driven. It's relatively simple to grab the ID and track a vehicles movement. I'll add that this is something that happens. Also, many cities, towns, and townships have license plate readers. Similar to what is used to track your tolls they read the plate as you drive by a camera. No picture is kept because that would be an invasion of privacy, but they log that your plate went past a sensor. I'll put a link to one of the many systems at the bottom of my post.

These don't provide access to the vehicle but are simple ways to track their movement. Good news, many of the old ways to access a vehicle still work. Break a window, shim the lock, etc.

Someone really interested in your whereabouts will not want to take any chances and will just slap a small GPS tracker on a vehicle. Low in cost and they don't require the vehicle system. Most likely they would take it a step further and track your phone, use camera facial recognition and cameras etc.

You should know that ring doorbells are a huge invasion of privacy. Amazon uses facial recognition to track who is in front of the camera and their movements through an area with multiple cameras. Yes, Amazon knows when you walk the dog around the block because of your neighbors' cameras. Stores use cameras to track your movement through the store. How else would they know what your interests to improve their marketing.

It goes on and on and I have other things to do today...

Link to license plate reader system from Motorola (one of many types) - Motorola Solutions License Plate Recognition

Ring’s privacy failures led to spying and harassment through home security cameras | Consumer Advice

The good news is that most of us are not that interesting. No need to spy on us.

 

[totaljustice]

I'm with Zzbully and have an opinion that the most likely risk in the near-term is malfunctions (even a bricked vehicle) when ford uploads faulty 'updates' in the future.
Some manufacturers are already offering some electronic 'services' as a subscription. Makes me worry that this trend could expand into aggressive marketing where the vehicle owner has to pay-and-pay-and-pay to keep features running that they thought they paid for with the original purchase of the vehicle that they thought they owned.
Don't get me started on software obsolence.
My opinion is that we need a choice to be able to purchase vehicles with NO internet connectivity, designed with features that when non-essential features fail don't cause failure of a more important feature/function.
I'd be happy with Off-road/trucks having zero chips and software.

THIS!!!!! There is no way I'm ever going to pay for a subscription for anything regarding buying a vehicle. They are way too expensive now and if they start demanding a fee for things like A/C, Power Windows etc. I'll be looking somewhere else. I can't believe that Tesla owners agree to this crap in some areas now. Junkyards will keep me in car parts for decades so bring it on subscription creep!!!! Lol.

 

[Valhalla]

If you want to be a ludite I suggest buying a 66-77 remnufactured bronco body and frame. I would get the frame that raises the body 2" so you can put the coyote motor out of a 2015-18 f150 with trans t case and computer. It'll cost around 50 to build and will take about 8 months but you'll have a badass capable rig at the end that "they" can't monitor. I know you said you were not looking for commentary, and I am commenting. It seems to me if you want to drastically alter the vehicle get some tools and start unhooking. Post "your build" here. If however you think a forum is only going to give you the information you want immediately it would raise questions for me about your experience. As stated the manual showd you how to disable OTA updates. I'm curious what it is you feel needs shut down. I'm assuming the emissions that you speak of are the stop start function. Before I installed my Ford performance tuner it was part of my ritual to turn off auto lights, traction control and stop start while warming the engine. Now I only do two things as the performance tune took care of my stop start.
If I'm wrong and you want to rip out the whole emissions control you will have to do a lot of tuning and I would suggest my first proposal. Hope you take this as a serious comment as that is the intent. I'd caution you to never ask questions on pirate 4x4 also.

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