Today I learned that police can use GM's OnStar to remotely control a vehicle they are tracking.

From the Ontario Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report on shooting a man chased in a 2 day manhunt in Temagami in Oct 2025: "OPP communications coordinated with OnStar to track a pick-up truck, receiving intermittent GPS updates indicating the vehicle was moving and later stationary near Highway 11. OPP crews attended and set up a containment site at Roosevelt Road and Highway 11. The Complainant’s vehicle was sighted approaching the containment and then reversing away. Authorization was provided to OnStar to initiate a gradual slowdown of his vehicle."

The SIU report (case #25-PFI-401):
https://siu.on.ca/en/directors_report_details.php?drid=4923

Many articles online about how US CBP/ICE and FBI have been making use of this.

#OnStar #Surveillance #ACAB #SIU #OPP #Temagami #Policing #GPS #Ontario

The FTC’s Ban on #GM and #OnStar Selling Driver Data Is a Good First Step
#privacy #surveillance #tracking #geoloc #ftc

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/01/ftcs-ban-gm-and-onstar-selling-driver-behavior-good-first-step

"The Federal Trade Commission announced a proposed settlement agreeing that General Motors and its subsidiary, OnStar, will be banned from selling geolocation and driver behavior data to credit agencies for five years. That’s good news for G.M. owners. Every car owner and driver deserves to be protected.

Last year, a New York Times investigation highlighted how G.M. was sharing information with insurance companies without clear knowledge from the driver. This resulted in people’s insurance premiums increasing, sometimes without them realizing why that was happening. This data sharing problem was common amongst many carmakers, not just G.M., but figuring out what your car was sharing was often a Sisyphean task, somehow managing to be more complicated than trying to learn similar details about apps or websites."

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/01/ftcs-ban-gm-and-onstar-selling-driver-behavior-good-first-step

#USA #FTC #GM #OnStar #Privacy #LocationData #GeoLocation #DataProtection

Engadget: FTC bans General Motors from selling driver data for five years. “Today, the FTC proposed a settlement that will see both GM and OnStar banned from disclosing consumers’ geolocation and driver behavior data to consumer reporting agencies for five years. These companies will also be ordered to take additional steps to increase the transparency and choice for customers surrounding […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/01/19/engadget-ftc-bans-general-motors-from-selling-driver-data-for-five-years/