Your car is spying on you – and Israeli firms are leading the surveillance race (www.haaretz.com)
from geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml to privacy@lemmy.ml on 17 Feb 20:10
https://lemmy.ml/post/43309531

Israeli companies have developed and are selling advanced cyber tools that can hack into the tech of your car and use it to collect intelligence on you.

Three years ago, Haaretz revealed the existence of the offensive cyber intelligence company Toka, which was co-founded by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and a former Israel Defense Forces cyber chief, Brig. Gen. (ret.) Yaron Rosen. The firm specialized in hacking into security cameras, but as documents obtained by Haaretz at the time revealed, Toka also had a product called CARINT that fused camera data with data linked to cars.

At the time, the industry was in its infancy. But industry sources say that Toka has since expanded its offering on cars. It has developed and even sold a product capable of hacking into a specific vehicle’s multimedia systems, pinpointing its location and tracking its movements; that is, a specific model by a specific manufacturer. The technology can even remotely access the microphone of the vehicle’s hands-free system, allowing eavesdropping on the driver, and even tap into cameras installed on the dashboard or around the car.

#privacy

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its_kim_love@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 17 Feb 21:09 next collapse

I love my dumb ebike. It’s so much easier to maintain and I know what all the technology does.

Reverendender@sh.itjust.works on 17 Feb 21:25 next collapse

My 2007 Tundra? I think not.

ohellidk@sh.itjust.works on 17 Feb 21:51 next collapse

Now’s a good time to remove any sim cards attached to your vehicle/infotainment center. They can track it as easily as cell phones.

some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world on 18 Feb 05:26 next collapse

The sim just holds your subscriber number. I would assume any car with any ability to reach the outside world to be vulnerable, whether it has a sim in it or not, and regardless of whether that connection’s with a cellular radio, WiFi, satellite or other

quick_snail@feddit.nl on 18 Feb 15:52 collapse

It will store data locally and upload it when you take it to the mechanic. You have to neuter the sensors

Auli@lemmy.ca on 19 Feb 13:12 collapse

Yah my mechanic us downloading the data. Dealership maybe but mechanic come on.

Fokeu@lemmy.zip on 17 Feb 21:57 next collapse

That’s why I’m driving in a shitbox! Not that I’m poor…

ZiggyTheZygote@lemmy.ca on 17 Feb 21:58 next collapse

I wonder if they can hack into millions of cellphones and get them to self detonate using the battery as the explosive material? Is that possible, just wipe out out millions of people just like that? If they could they would.

geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml on 17 Feb 22:21 next collapse

Likely not. The beeper terrorist attack had a special explosive planted. Phone batteries can overheat but not explode rapidly.

Now as for car batteries I’m not sure. Maybe they can make them explode or catch fire while locking the car doors.

ZiggyTheZygote@lemmy.ca on 17 Feb 22:48 next collapse

Or it can cause the car to get out of control and crash, assassination perfectly looking like an accident.

stiffyGlitch@lemmy.world on 18 Feb 17:14 collapse

Are we planning to assassinate somebody? With a car battery? And if you want the car to veer off course, then it’s the brake pedal you’ll want removed. But in newer cars there’s a function that if you take your foot off the gas pedal it’ll just slow down like you’re braking. And there’s this one car that if somebody is having a stroke while they’re driving it’ll go autopilot mode and pull to the curb and call for emergency assistance. I saw it at this automobile convention that I went to last year. The North American International Auto Show in Detroit, up by Huntington Place, I think. It was amazing. Never really been into cars, but I went anyway.

doodoo_wizard@lemmy.ml on 18 Feb 05:12 next collapse

You don’t need to worry about that, lead acid is a really stable and safe battery. If you wanna get a handful of extra years out of your batteries, buy the ones with removable caps and keep the water topped up.

If they weren’t so heavy and energy sparse they’d be great for all kinds of stuff.

quick_snail@feddit.nl on 18 Feb 15:53 collapse

It wasn’t a special explosive. It was a specially modified battery. They made the battery explode. Because it was a battery, it could not be detected

Auli@lemmy.ca on 19 Feb 13:10 collapse

There had to be something. Batteries well catch fire but not explode. But it is all speculating we well never know.

sefra1@lemmy.zip on 17 Feb 22:24 collapse

No, it’s not possible, at most they could cause the battery to overheat and either expand or “explode” just enough so you notice it and take the phone out of your pocket without causing any harm.

As for cars, there’s potentially enough energy in there for a real explosion.

ZiggyTheZygote@lemmy.ca on 17 Feb 22:49 collapse

Good thing i have an old car.

Marshezezz@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 17 Feb 22:08 next collapse

My car is from 2015

monovergent@lemmy.ml on 17 Feb 22:31 next collapse

Every day I feel more justified in keeping my 1990s car running.

(I’d also like to walk or take public transit, but the infrastructure here is car dependent)

TheImpressiveX@lemmy.today on 17 Feb 23:47 next collapse

This is why you should switch to ebikes if you can, it’s better for the environment and they don’t track you.

stink@lemmygrad.ml on 18 Feb 00:00 next collapse

Yet!

themurphy@lemmy.ml on 18 Feb 00:30 next collapse

If it’s those pay-per-ride city bikes, then you bet your ass they are tracked.

HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml on 18 Feb 07:06 next collapse

If you use one of those regularly just buy an ebike. Doesn’t take that long for the cost of those ultra short term rental apps to exceed buying your own.

stiffyGlitch@lemmy.world on 18 Feb 17:06 collapse

Of course they are! Do you think that the city or state will just let people take them wherever and expect to get it back? It’s not exactly running on the honor system. I’ve seen loads of people just take them to sell them for parts. All of those chips inside of them. And there are ways to hack them so they aren’t connected to the software they were originally powered to be on. If somebody wants to make money, they’ll go the distance.

Auli@lemmy.ca on 19 Feb 13:08 collapse

So now the state owns Bird and the others.

[deleted] on 18 Feb 14:31 collapse

.

quick_snail@feddit.nl on 18 Feb 15:50 collapse

Stop being a bad person

[deleted] on 18 Feb 16:50 collapse

.

sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 06:07 next collapse

Archive link?

calidris@hexbear.net on 18 Feb 06:48 next collapse

archive.md/tDOFi

sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 13:51 collapse

It never loaded for me

geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml on 18 Feb 16:19 collapse

It loads for me. Archive can be a bit flaky especially with vpns

sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 19:33 collapse

I’ll try changing my server. Thanks

Yep, changing servers worked!

hexagonwin@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 07:39 collapse

fyi you can just do something like archive.is/…/0000019c-6651-d2f0-a19c-7fdd81920000

sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 13:50 collapse

Not sure what you did but the page couldn’t be reached

hexagonwin@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 17:09 collapse

weird, try changing archive.is to archive.md or archive.today. /latest/{url} redirects to the latest for that url, and /{url} redirects to the list of captures for that url

quick_snail@feddit.nl on 18 Feb 15:49 next collapse

Site does not load

geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml on 18 Feb 16:18 collapse
FreddiesLantern@leminal.space on 18 Feb 16:20 next collapse

Don’t use Waze.

Formfiller@lemmy.world on 18 Feb 17:15 next collapse

I had no idea I’ll remove it immediately

NikkiDimes@lemmy.world on 18 Feb 19:51 collapse

…or any app based GPS at that point.

Formfiller@lemmy.world on 18 Feb 17:15 next collapse

Crazy Ehud Barak the same guy who allegedly trained Epstein as a Mossad spy and lived with him for five years? What a coincidence

hector@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 20:45 collapse

Lived with him for 5 years? That is the first I’m hearing of that, do you recall where you learned that bit? I did just see an article I’m going to read soon that Israel’s government set up Eptein’s manhattan penthouse with hidden cameras and microphones. As if we needed more proof he was a honeypot to ensnare lawmakers, business leaders, and the aristocracy in compromising situations. This is just one operation too, we don’t even know what else they have been up to, I bet they have financial misdealings on the majority of lawmakers.

Formfiller@lemmy.world on 18 Feb 22:49 collapse

I guess I should have said his top aid stayed with him over and over for extended periods over five years so sorry about that nordictimes.com/…/new-fbi-documents-jeffrey-epste…

www.democracynow.org/2025/11/12/epstein_israel

jacobin.com/…/epstein-files-barak-israel-relation…

dropsitenews.com/…/israeli-spy-yoni-koren-stayed-…

hector@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 22:52 collapse

Thanks. I listen to democracy now too I must have missed that one.

Formfiller@lemmy.world on 18 Feb 22:53 next collapse

Young Turks have really been digging into the Epstein Israel connection too

geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml on 20 Feb 01:33 collapse

Breaking Points frequently has Dropsite journalists on (and employ one)

pedz@lemmy.ca on 18 Feb 17:22 next collapse

Fuck cars. I’m car free and glad to be. My bike doesn’t spy on me. And I don’t really fancy getting an e-bike that requires an app just to work. The only thing spying on me is my Android phone.

FineCoatMummy@sh.itjust.works on 18 Feb 18:04 next collapse

100%. If you can bike, that’s both good for your health, AND reduces surveillance.

We need to push for better bikability especially here in North America. Fortunately my city is good, but so many others are not. Especially for older people who may not be comfortable mixing it up with cars if they bike.

Of course also now Flock cameras are everywhere, who watch bikes as well as cars. There is no plate on a bicycle, but I have seen allegations they can perform biometric ID of pedestrians and cyclists.

hector@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 20:42 collapse

Those Silicon Valley based bikes that you rent with an app, pick up when you see it, leave it where your destination is, do have cameras and microphones on them I believe, and gps. They totally do spy on you, and by extension your phone, which it turns out is a terrible gossip.

FineCoatMummy@sh.itjust.works on 18 Feb 22:29 collapse

Agreed. I don’t carry a phone today, but I am considering getting a dumbphone + Faraday pouch for emergencies.

And yah, “smart bikes”… eww.

hector@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 22:40 collapse

I am planning on switching to open source anyway. I think I need to buy a graphene phone for that though, my android I don’t think is capable of loading a different OS, but I’m not savvy that is just what I recall someone telling me.

Definitely a faraday pouch as well, one that is waterproof and protective to boot even but pocket sized if possible. It’s probably good not to have all those rf waves right next to your balls anyway.

FineCoatMummy@sh.itjust.works on 18 Feb 23:35 collapse

I think I need to buy a graphene phone for that though, my android I don’t think is capable of loading a different OS,

I have no experience with it, but they have page here which lists compatible devices, and recommended devices. The recommended ones are a subset, because apparently some older devices lack hardware security features.

hector@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 20:40 collapse

They are forcing my phone to be the key to everything, including my email. So if I lose my phone, or my service, I’m locked out of everything. If the phone isn’t charging I’ve no way to communicate. Emails main use for me is an insurance to communicate if need be, forcing seemingly random verifications to my phone is a dealbreaker. I dropped all other emails outside a new one that doesn’t do that.

But it’s everything, they want it to be the key to your car, to your house even. Metal keys work, it’s a time tested method of locking things, and more secure than a digital lock. Just as passwords work. If you want to set up a phone as security, go ahead, forcing us to do it isn’t about safety though, it’s about forcing us to give them commercially valuable information under false pretenses, and we all know it. They think we don’t have a choice because they all engaged in a shit trust, all agreeing to not compete and instead change in ways to hurt us that make them more money.

Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world on 18 Feb 17:26 next collapse

When my car’s radio system completely busted over a year ago, I wasn’t in a rush to replace it. To replace it with the same original radio would’ve cost over $3000. Meanwhile, all the car radios I saw in stores were touch screen - I refuse to buy those. So I’ve simply gone without.

But the radio/infotainment was connected to other systems, including the back-up camera and clock. I can’t change the time and I need to look out the windows/windshields to back up. I take some solace in knowing that despite those minor set-backs, at least I don’t have to worry about my car’s radio system being a little snitch.

FineCoatMummy@sh.itjust.works on 18 Feb 17:58 collapse

at least I don’t have to worry about my car’s radio system being a little snitch

I feel your pain. It’s nearly impossible now to buy a disconnected car, and over time, pre-connectivity cars will become old and less reliable.

I need to look out the windows/windshields to back up.

Which is getting harder on some models of hatchback where it’s difficult to see out the rear window. My car is like that. My old car was a 4 dr sedan and you could easily see behind. In my new car I would not feel safe backing up without the camera due to how bad the rear visibility is. Especially in parking lots with the risk that a child below window level had run out from somewhere into my blind spot. That’s what keeps me tethered to my backup camera - the fear of hitting another person I couldn’t see. Otherwise I would do exactly what you are doing.

I bike whenever I can, but sometimes, I must drive.

Another problem is that on some newer cars, the “little snitch” part of the car is the same subsystem as other features of the car you need, like the directional blinkers. You rip out the snitching part, and you also lose safety features you need legally and ethically.

I hate this. All of this. I hate that the default for so many devices now, not just cars, is surveillance.

ZomieChicken@sh.itjust.works on 18 Feb 20:47 collapse

I know it’s nontrivial, but kit cars are a thing. If they won’t make the car you want, build it.

Please verify the process to make it street legal before buying the kit, though. Don’t want to end up with a car-sized paperweight.

DieserTypMatthias@lemmy.ml on 18 Feb 19:25 next collapse

We have eCall in the EU so that lads from Brussels can spy on us in our cars.

hector@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 20:35 collapse

Can we disable these cameras and microphones at least? I can’t imagine people would have stood for this level of surveillance and control a few generations back. Something is fundamentally wrong with us, I seriously think some systematic pollutant is making us more docile and trusting. Not just taxoplasmosis which could infect up to 30% of the population and does inhibit the fear center, spread between cats and rodents the rodents that get it lose their fear of cats. But all mammals can get it. Spread through feces.

DieserTypMatthias@lemmy.ml on 19 Feb 11:34 next collapse
Auli@lemmy.ca on 19 Feb 13:05 collapse

I just disabled my vehicles modem.

hector@lemmy.today on 19 Feb 13:19 collapse

Are we sure that is the only way for it to communicate with the internets/phones, rf receivers, etc?

hector@lemmy.today on 18 Feb 20:32 next collapse

If you connect your car to your phone, the police can get into your phone, without a warrant, without much effort, without you knowing. They can see pretty much everything. Something about an old supreme court decision from a hundred years back, cars are mobile so they can’t get warrants, and our dishonorable supreme court naturally endorsed dishonoring the 4th amendment to give police more power. I think this is the article, from a couple of years back or something if so: theintercept.com/…/car-surveillance-berla-msab-cb…

Tigeroovy@lemmy.ca on 18 Feb 22:34 next collapse

Nah, my car is old enough that it has a CD player, it’s not spying on shit.

curiousaur@reddthat.com on 19 Feb 20:46 collapse

I just got a harness adapter that disables the radio in my car without any side effects.