EU to bug every car in UK with tracker chips

[Scubbie]

EU to bug every car in UK with tracker chips - and Ministers admit they are powerless to stop the Big Brother technology | Mail Online

EU to bug every car in UK with tracker chips – and Ministers admit they are powerless to stop the Big Brother technology

• Under EU plans, every new car sold in UK will have a 'black box' device
• Gadget contains a phone-like SIM card which tracks drivers' movements
• Designed to help emergency services find vehicles in the event of crash
• Government believes the device will add at least £100 to the cost of cars
• Officials also fear it could be used by police to monitor motorists' moves
  
• But ministers admit they are powerless to stop Big Brother technology
• All new car models will have to include 'eCall' device from October 2015

Every new car sold in Britain will have to have a ‘black box’ device fitted to track drivers’ movements from next year, under plans being imposed by the European Union.

Despite serious concerns about privacy and cost, UK ministers admit they are powerless to stop the Big Brother technology being forced on motorists and car makers.

The Government believes the gadget, designed to help emergency services find crashed vehicles, will add at least £100 to the cost of vehicles without providing significant safety improvements.

Officials also fear the scheme, known as eCall, could be used by police or insurance companies to monitor motorists’ every move.

The European Commission has ruled that by October next year, all new cars and vans sold across Europe must be fitted with the technology, which contains a mobile phone-like SIM card designed to transmit the vehicle’s location to emergency services in the event of a crash.

But The Mail on Sunday has seen official correspondence from the Department of Transport showing the UK’s opposition to the policy, which could lead to the ‘constant tracking’ of vehicles.

In a letter to MPs, Transport Minister Robert Goodwill writes: ‘The basis for our opposition is that costs to the UK outweigh the benefits.

‘Unfortunately, there is very little support for the UK position and no possibility of blocking this legislation. We are working with other member states to minimise the potential burdens on manufacturers and the potential cost to consumers.

‘With regard to the rules on privacy and data protection, other member states have expressed similar concerns to us, about the potential for constant tracking of vehicles via the eCall system.’

Emma Carr, of civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, said last night: ‘Motorists will not be comfortable forcibly having a black box installed which is capable of recording and transmitting their exact location when they are driving.’

Some car manufacturers, including BMW and Volvo, already include eCall devices in their latest models.

An SOS button near the dashboard, linked to a SIM card, allows drivers to call 999 quickly. And if airbags are deployed it automatically sends a text message to emergency services with the car’s location – as well as its unique vehicle ID number.

Voluntary take-up has been low across the industry so the EU ruled all new car models must include eCall from October 1, 2015. Motorists will be unable to switch it off and it will be tested in MoT checks.

The EU Parliament voted it through last month and a draft of the law is due to be published next week before it is agreed by the EU Commission.
Britain is trying to push back the deadline by two years.

The UK also hopes the new text will include assurances on the privacy risks of eCall, which were highlighted in a European Parliament legal report earlier this year.

The study said manufacturers will want to include ‘value added services’ for the SOS devices, such as sharing the data with insurers and recovery firms.

A separate study by the EU Data Protection Supervisor warns of the ‘potential intrusiveness’ of eCall given that it operates on the same basis as mobile phones and ‘potentially enables the constant collection of the vehicle’s geolocation’. It urges ‘stricter safeguards’ against ‘unlawful’ use of personal data.

Brussels insists eCall will save 2,500 lives a year by speeding up emergency services response times.

[Piston]

I'll be searching and removing the sim card within an hour of getting it home. These bloody people will probably mandate CCTV installs next to everyone's home on the pretence that somebody some day might collapse.

[jrfer]

Yet another good reason to dump the EU.

[dog-man]

I will also be removing any device inside any car of mine regardless of the consequences.

Same goes for my wheelie bin if my council ever puts a chip inside it as some councils do.

[Scubbie]

Whilst it might sound nice, I think I would have to agree.

The potential for someone to be able to track my every move is an unwanted intrusion. I wonder though just how many of you have disabled the 'Location History' feature on your mobile phones?

I can't recall what it is called on the iPhones, but for any of you who have a relatively new Android phone, check out this link:

https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0

It could be possible that someone can hack your Google account and navigate to that page to see where you are.

Alternatively if you happen to have a Samsung phone & account check out this page:

Find My Mobile | Samsung Content & Services

Once logged in you can check out a couple of features such as locating the GPS coordinates of your phone or getting your phone to ring so that you can find it (useful when it's stuck down the side of your sofa or hidden in your handbag). This site does leave a notification on your phone when it is used though.

[SadBloke]

I'll be searching and removing the sim card within an hour of getting it home.

I hope you've taken the SIM out of your mobile phone. What's the difference?

Another one for the conspiracy theorists, courtesy of the Daily Mail!

[dms05]

You are already tracked everywhere you go. It's either your mobile phone or one of the registration recognition cameras that are everywhere (even my local Sainsburys has one as you enter their car park but that does show you've been clocked with a 'welcome' message as your presence is fed to a national database). If you are really paranoid then look at today's Register and read how your smart TV can be used to watch you in your own home if you have a camera attached and listen to you if you have a mic. It's part of everyday life. The most interesting point is Big Brother is collecting so much data he'll never have time to analyse it - a bit like I never find the time to watch the 2TB of recordings on my PVR!

[Scubbie]

...and with the NSA and GCHQ monitoring your Internet activity and reading your emails, they probably know where you are going before you've left.

[coipu]

Lol installed on a Monday morning, blocked and/or spoofed by teatime.

[launton]

Daily Mail......