The On Star satellite phone

My uncle has a car which is equipped with the so called "OnStar" system. It is a satellite phone. but if your car gets stolen the OnStar operator can track your car down and find it for you. They can lock and unlock your car and if your car broke down they can see whats wrong. And all this with that system, which is nothing more than a chip applied to the car. More info about the system here:
www.onstar.com...

Here is whats wrong with it: What if the FBI or any other agencies use it for surveillance?
Here is what I found on a newspage:
Canadian Press


FALMOUTH, N.S. � Police in Nova Scotia used satellite technology to track down a man suspected in the beating of two seniors at a motel that they own.

RCMP officers were called to the Avonside Motel in Falmouth Monday after a woman staggered across the road to a gas station and reported the incident. As the two were being taken to hospital, police learned that their car was missing.

Officers contacted the dealership to find out whether the vehicle was equipped with On Star, a global positioning system that uses a microchip to locate a car and allows users to find out exactly where they are.

Within minutes, operators at On Star offices in the United States were telling them that the car was on Highway 104 near Pictou.

When the RCMP tried to pull over the vehicle, it sped ahead. Police used a spike belt to end the chase.

A suspect, a Hants County man in his 20s, was arrested. Various criminal charges are possible, including theft and assault.

www.globeandmail.com.../fullstory_print.html&slug=gtbeatapr15&date=20030415

So what do you all think about this?
Big Brother is watching you- That's all I'm saying

Regards
SP

SOme car theif jacked a car in Maryland with onstar. A small kid was kidnapped. A policfe officer called onstar and they were able to track the car in 15 minutes.

and and and listen in on the conversation.

They make this sound like a good thing but obviously there is much potentionl for abuse.

Heres an idea. How about everyone drive old and busted cars that arent worth stealing.

[Edited on 18-10-2003 by websuspect]

That I think is AWESOME. Unless ofcourse you are a dope dealer or a terrorist.

My 78 yr. old Mother just bought a new Cadillac Deville and I INSISTED she get the OnStar system (which comes standard anyway) for the obvious reasons...

If you are doing bad things do them in a car that's NOT equipped. You don't have to have it unless you want it.

HOW can this be bad?!

P...
m...

Well, springer, many people like to do things that are not illegal but some consider bad. or things that are illegal but most consider not so bad. In america, I value my anonymity. I value my privacy. I do not want most people knowing which porn i prefer. I do not want the feds to be able to track where I drive. I do not want my insurance company to be able to charge me based on my actual mileage as its tracked by my on star system.
As a teenager, if my parents could find out when i went 'parking' with my best girl simply by logging onto their GPS I would have been mortified. But everyone knows that teenagers go explore sex in the back seats of cars. It tradition, and its fine. I for one, as a mostly law abiding citizen, am a little freaked out by the ability to be pinpointed anywhere at any time by my car company, or government...

I think Springer's point is that you would opt not to get On Star.

If you don't want this, don't get it...that's all.

My parents have the onstar system in their caddy but they decided not to activate it. Costs way too much money when you can just use a cell phone.

value my anonymity. I value my privacy.

Exactly. I would prefer it that way. But for someone who is old It cant hurt.

Gotta go with Springer on this one....if you want to do anything you dont want known, dont get it. But seems like a good thing for older people with nothing to hide. Myself I dont want nobody knowing where I go or what I do so personally I would not want it.

Originally posted by Valhall
I think Springer's point is that you would opt not to get On Star.

If you don't want this, don't get it...that's all.

Yeah but it would not wonder me if sometime in the future the feds make it an official standard in every car to track everybody down. Maybe sometime it will be a "must have" by law...only the future knows!