so how long before the hacking starts ā¦ you can already get the ecu āchippedā for more power, it all depends how good their encryption is, and is it in the terms of your sales agreement to keep your car always āonlineā
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Iāve been exclusive VW since ā98: GTI VR6 from ā98 to ā12. Golf diesel ā12 to ā17 and another GTI ā17 to present. The diesel was purchased back by VW during that fiasco. I drive cars until either the floorboards rot through or I wreck āem. The mere existence of this concept from the brand ESPECIALLY after the diesel mess would have me turn my back on them forever. The concept is justā¦gross.
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I would be very surprised if there werenāt people looking at that right now.
Very popular here and not just VWs. My model comes from the factory with various power options ranging from 130kW to 190kW (iirc) and the only difference is the ecuā¦ and cost (but admittedly the higher power versions have more options as well).
I could pay to have one of those āmore powerā factory ecuās fitted, but unlike what they are doing with the electric vehicles it is a one-off cost, not a monthly subscription and if I sell the car the new owner gets to enjoy it as well.
But I guess the āas a serviceā model will apply to everything eventually, want to activate that second slot on your toaster, that will be $$$ per month thank youā¦ always on internet connection required 
Itās going to get far worse with driverless cars. People with $$$ will be paying for priority a traffic lights, faster lane bias, even smoothness of the ride! (āDear Mr. Anderson, Because you have failed to pay for the Smooth Driver feature for your Apple Scoot, for the month of September your car will be switched to Nepali NYC Taxi Mode. Expect unpredictable braking, under speed-limit cruising and no potholes or manhole covers avoided. Thank you from Mark, Elon, Don jr, and all of us at Apple/Microsoft/GMā)
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To be honest Iām surprised it hasnāt already. With all the insanity and inhumane shenanigans going on since the Pandemic Iāve been wondering where the hell Anonymous went.
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I agreeā¦ Somewhat. Software that I purchase is not a commodity in the same sense that an engine part is, even if that engine part is dependent on software/firmware to work. I donāt own the software, I have bought a licence to use it at the whim of the company that sold it to me. But I own the engine part. I can modify it, or sell it.
If we apply the software model to a car:
I am sorry we have updated this years model, even though it has 90% commonality, your car will cease to work on this date (as per the EULA we have given you 30 days notice). Feel free to buy our new car though. We are doing this to give customers more choice and and a better driving experience.
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They becameā¦ Anonymous 
Sorry, but I had to do it 
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To be completely fair, in another (German) article I read that they offer a one time payment option as well where the car will stay on the power setting even if sold. My guess is that the subscription is a weather balloon to gauge acceptance. If it does well, they can safely not offer the one time option with the next model.
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Yes and as consumers we currently have the āchoiceā to buy their product or notā¦ Until we donāt have a choice.
These days it is becoming harder and harder to engage with a vendor except via ātheirā app. Heck in this country it is only possible, for me, to engage with at least one .gov department online.
My opinion is that if a 4G āsmartphoneā (i.e. download an app from the Google or Apple app store) and internet connection is the only way that I can access essential services in order to conduct business that I am required to by āLawā to conduct, then the people who are insisting that I use that have an obligation to provide me with a 4G phone and connection for free.
We arenāt quite there yet, but it is becoming increasingly difficult not to do anything āofflineāā¦ It wonāt be much longer until it is no longer optional.
Edit: I realise that sounds like my tinfoil hat is a bit too tight, but I fail to understand how reducing my privacy and increasing my attack surface all in the name of āconvenienceā is in my best interests?
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On the subject of the internet, is Mudspike going to be subject to the uk āonline safety actā I have so far been able to avoid any ā imperial entanglementsā but for Mudspike I would make the exception 
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To be fair a phone calls (POTS landline) or writing a letter was never free, either.
But they had a much simpler user interface and a person at the other end of the communication. I feel like thatās the actual distinction. Ease of use and means to be assisted with getting the request across.
Nowadays you need to be a password juggler, app whisperer and corporate mind reader to get a simple point across. God help you if youāre below average IQ or just busy with other things in life.
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True. But it isnāt about moneyā¦ Well that is the least of my complaints.
I am from a generation that actually had an expectation of privacy and secure communications (interception authorized under Warrant excepted).
Forcing me to use a system that offers neither really sticks in my craw. It isnāt just .gov agencies listening. It is worse than that. Ask me how I knowā¦
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I have dual Swedish and Norwegian citizenship. I grew up in Sweden but moved to Norway. During Covid my Swedish bank wanted me to visit one of their banks and identify myself, or they would have to cancel my account. This was a new rule that I think was implemented all over europe in order to find accounts with no physical owner and stop fraudulent and criminal use of banks. I asked if this could wait until after lockdowns as I was reluctant to sit 10 days in quarantine when I got back to Norway, just because I had to cross the border to show ID. This was not possible and my account was closed and my money transferred to my bank in Norway. After all, the bank clerk said, all I had to do was to visit a bank the next time I visited Sweden and open a new accountā¦
What I didnāt consider was that both Sweden and Norway use āBank IDā in order to identify yourself online. This is used in any communication with banks, online payments AND in communication with the government..! Yes, you use the digital ID provided by a bank, in order to identify yourself digitally, with your government. So when I lost my bank connection in Sweden, I had no way of communicating digitally with the Swedish governmentā¦ And before you ask, no, the Norwegian and Swedish Bank IDās are not compatible.
If communication with the government requires a digital ID, shouldnāt the government supply this to their citizens?
Like being sick!
We jokingly say that if you need the help of the health care system, you better not be sick!
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Theyāre new to this and would rather use workarounds. I heard good things from Denmark, though. So it can be done.
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Iām too scared. I canāt handle the truth. 
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Yes, there should be a right to barrier free access to all government services. This need not be hassle free as in, just waltz by and be accommodated immediately, but it should be possible.
Governments should also stop emulating an industry that is forced by their ad-driven revenue models to en 
ify their services. Public services in the IT domain should first and foremost be realised as interfaces, not as client services. I donāt give a **** about some stupid app and the OS it was written for. Define an operating system agnostic interface like a REST API or whatever is appropriate for the specific domain, THEN and ONLY THEN, if you want to be fancy build an app for whatever OS you deem appropriate. That way, people on whatever bespoke operating system at least have the option to build their own clients and talk to the interface. I donāt understand how governments can be so ignorant of this principle, it drives me nuts.
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I see in the news today, thereās calls to ban VPNs as apparently kids are using them to bypass the age verification on porn sites.
Typical lazy journalism hysterics.
What a great idea, letās ban something which is in mainstream usage with most businesses and a part of most secure networks, rather than suggesting parents switch off little Johnnieās porn pipe at source.
There arenāt enough facepalms.
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What bothers me more is the fact the government has got third party companies in to do the age verification and data checks, which involves either a face picture or a scan of an official picture id, ( driving licence or passport) then what happens when there is a data breach ā¦,unfortunately there are a lot of parents who donāt give a crap about what their kids are watching or doing
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Yeah, but itās been a thing over here for at least 20 years nowā¦
But only recently have we become so dependent of it, that not having it becomes a problem.
They are policy driven, must buy from the lowest bidder and hire the wrong peopleā¦?
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I wish I could give that more than one like.
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