William Kuns

On the surface of it, this is a very utilitarian feature...the obvious spouse-stalking issue aside. I own a vehicle that is a prime target for auto thieves, so I can appreciate this capability to protect a valuable asset. However, being extremely tech-savvy for someone my age (I started studying coding, et cetera, almost forty years ago), and somewhat cynical and paranoid, I recognize the vulnerability in security that this capability represents: So-called black hat hackers, easily hired by those without the necessary knowledge but with the financial resources to hire them, can find you anywhere. The more sophisticated models can also be hacked and controlled remotely, cutting off your engine and leaving you ripe for the plucking, facilitating whatever nefarious plans someone might have for you. Then there are large corporations that already have such individuals on payroll to...clean up messes. You can't hack a seventies muscle car. No chips. Anything manufactured before 1985 is pretty darned secure. Limit technology, limit the threats. You can't really go off the grid if you suddenly find that you have to while driving a well-equipped contemporary vehicle. Sometimes, to combat modern high-tech threats, low-tech is the best way to go, not more tech.