I heard about this yesterday. It's a crypto miner for your car by using your OBDII port. It works by harvesting your vehicle data and in exchange you get crypto. Vehicle must be 10 years or newer and the rarer the car the better, they also can do fleets. Works for both EV and gas engines and the more you drive the more you'll receive.

I was thinking about doing it until I read deeper into it. When they say data they mean every bit your car puts out. This goes into the blockchain, meaning once it's out there it's out there...forever. They seem to be planning on providing this data to insurance companies. It's open data so any person can use it apparently, including the government. Been speeding? You might see a ticket show up in the mail if they decide to use it.

The device costs $300 and is currently sold out but they'll be doing another drop in a month. I won't be participating even though I have a fleet due to already having enough things harvesting data I don't need another lol. Oh and I would be worried about it frying electronics.

Here's a link. https://dimo.zone/

Oh and I should add that they have NO privacy statement currently. Yikes!

I can't tell you how long I held out before getting EZ-Pass for tolls. It pissed me off that someone would know my every move. Then my insurance company wanted me to get that device for a safe driver discount. NO. Now Big Brother is everywhere. Our phones, ATM activity, cameras and GPS tracking in cars. Pretty scary stuff.

cmyx6go wrote

I can't tell you how long I held out before getting EZ-Pass for tolls. It pissed me off that someone would know my every move. Then my insurance company wanted me to get that device for a safe driver discount. NO. Now Big Brother is everywhere. Our phones, ATM activity, cameras and GPS tracking in cars. Pretty scary stuff.

Exactly! We just bought a smart scale that measures an insane amount of things and who knows where all of that is going. It's funny because I use to say I wouldn't get into all of this stuff but now...cameras (none inside), Alexa, smart watches, scales, lights, outlets, smart phones etc. Heck even my fish tank is operated in the cloud.

Our03z4 wrote

Exactly! We just bought a smart scale that measures an insane amount of things and who knows where all of that is going. It's funny because I use to say I wouldn't get into all of this stuff but now...cameras (none inside), Alexa, smart watches, scales, lights, outlets, smart phones etc. Heck even my fish tank is operated in the cloud.

Screw that Alexa bitch. Not in my house.

cmyx6go wrote

Screw that Alexa bitch. Not in my house.

We were having a random convo at my dad's last night. My wife was mostly speaking Spanglish, and suddenly the device (not sure which) chimed in. Spooky!

Man, 40 years ago we were worried about soviet spy planes and listening devices. Now we are like 'can't I get a better deal for selling out my privacy?'

cmyx6go wrote

Screw that Alexa bitch. Not in my house.

I had an Alexa for less than a week, to evaluate the programming/development interface for a side gig. After the "Alexa, order me a doll house" TV report, the first thing that I did was change the wake word from "Alexa" to "Computer" to prevent that from happening.

What I quickly discovered was that Star Trek uses "computer" as their wake word. Alexa started babbling on about a self-destruct sequence, randomly reading news articles, and similar unwanted behavior any time that the TV was on. RIP, Alexa! I obviously passed on that side gig.

We do use Siri though, with "Hey, Siri" voice wake-up and all of the creepy features disabled. Most of our use is from Apple Watches, and is for quickly controlling lights and stuff in the house. We have to press the watch's crown to make Siri listen, and I don't think that Apple would ever try to eavesdrop from a watch because it would quickly deplete the battery. Plus, having watched some legal/privacy cases that Apple was involved in, I sort of have faith that my tracking info isn't leaving their walled garden in Cupertino. Can't say that for Google and Amazon. Heck, I drilled the microphones out on all of my Amazon Fire wall-mounted tablets and covered the cameras with electrical tape!!!!!

Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you

I saw an interview with the CIA head of computer security, and he readily admitted that he keeps a post-it over the camera on his laptop. But if you can hide cameras in a button or the end of a pen, there's no limit to what is (or could be) hiding on the circuit board.

Besides the suspicion of "big brother," you are giving valuable data (that otherwise would cost an arm and a leg to obtain, let alone paying insane legal fees in doing so) to these companies for something ephemeral whose value is only determined by speculation (crypto).

You can also think of it from the company's perspective. Obviously this information you're giving them is insanely valuable with extrinsic and intrinsic worth (otherwise it wouldn't exist as a business). To get you to give it to them voluntarily (so they can side step any research and legal processes that would have to take place), they are enticing you with something with zero intrinsic worth, but a cool new thing called crypto. This is akin to those "get a free ipod" websites that existed in the early 2000s where you tried out a bunch of advertisers offers and in turn for doing so, they shipped you an ipod (after they got a huge advertising fee from the companies of course).

Food for thought

cmyx6go wrote

Screw that Alexa bitch. Not in my house.

Wife works in Cyber Security. We don't have any "smart devices" in our house. Maybe that's why she married me?

Yeah, I cross a bridge daily and I'm not a fan that my city (and whoever else that they sell the data to) knows my patterns. Plus the bridge I cross was "purposed" that once the bridge was paid for, there would be no crossing fee. Prior to covid, you had to stop on each side and pay $1.00. Pre-covid, they switched it to $2.00 one way collection. During covid, now they just scan your plate as you go by and mail you the bill. Well "apparently" they are loosing money now and have recently implemented a $3.00 fee ($5.00 to cross) if you do not have a transponder. Wonder if Ring data ever got breached....knowing my arm/disarm trends. I'm telling you...the best life may just be in a cabin in the woods off the grid!

MightyMouseTech wrote

Wife works in Cyber Security. We don't have any "smart devices" in our house. Maybe that's why she married me?

Are you sure.....? Do you have a recent-gen smart TV for example? They're listening too...

What about security cameras like Ring?

And today, your smart phone is spying on you in ways you can't even imagine - Siri is just amateur hour in that regard.

Oh, and your credit cards? They are reporting on aspects of your shopping habits including item preferences, stores, locations, income level, etc.

And don't get me started on what my BMW is reporting.

Fast.F10 wrote

Yeah, I cross a bridge daily and I'm not a fan that my city (and whoever else that they sell the data to) knows my patterns. Plus the bridge I cross was "purposed" that once the bridge was paid for, there would be no crossing fee. Prior to covid, you had to stop on each side and pay $1.00. Pre-covid, they switched it to $2.00 one way collection. During covid, now they just scan your plate as you go by and mail you the bill. Well "apparently" they are loosing money now and have recently implemented a $3.00 fee ($5.00 to cross) if you do not have a transponder. Wonder if Ring data ever got breached....knowing my arm/disarm trends. I'm telling you...the best life may just be in a cabin in the woods off the grid!

LOL at $2.00 to cross a bridge. $13.75 for me daily to go between NY and NJ with EZ-Pass discount. No EZ-Pass it's $16.00.

BMWGUYinCO wrote

Are you sure.....? Do you have a recent-gen smart TV for example? They're listening too...

What about security cameras like Ring?

And today, your smart phone is spying on you in ways you can't even imagine - Siri is just amateur hour in that regard.

Oh, and your credit cards? They are reporting on aspects of your shopping habits including item preferences, stores, locations, income level, etc.

And don't get me started on what my BMW is reporting.

TV? Nope, we don't own one.
Security Cameras? Nope.
Only thing we have is our phones, and they are locked down good. There is a reason every single person in her department uses an iPhone.
Don't care about our cards, they are not eves dropping to everything we say. Yet........

cmyx6go wrote

I can't tell you how long I held out before getting EZ-Pass for tolls. It pissed me off that someone would know my every move. Then my insurance company wanted me to get that device for a safe driver discount. NO. Now Big Brother is everywhere. Our phones, ATM activity, cameras and GPS tracking in cars. Pretty scary stuff.

Well what are you doing and where are you going that you shouldn't be missy?

Tommy-G wrote

Well what are you doing and where are you going that you shouldn't be missy?

That’s not the point. Why should someone else know where I’m going? Every time I start the engine in my new 2022, it gives me my suggested destination based on past travels. It knows I go from home to work. From my sister’s to home. We are all being tracked. We aren’t doing anything wrong, but why should our movements be recorded? Now they are talking about technology to automatically shut your car down under certain circumstances. Pretty scary shit. What happened to the land of the free?

cmyx6go wrote

Screw that Alexa bitch. Not in my house.

Exactly. Not in my house

cmyx6go wrote

That’s not the point. Why should someone else know where I’m going? Every time I start the engine in my new 2022, it gives me my suggested destination based on past travels. It knows I go from home to work. From my sister’s to home. We are all being tracked. We aren’t doing anything wrong, but why should our movements be recorded? Now they are talking about technology to automatically shut your car down under certain circumstances. Pretty scary shit. What happened to the land of the free?

I get it, I just don’t think anything I do is that interesting for me to care. I don’t care if my cameras catch me walking naked to the laundry room or Alexa hears me yell at the dumb cat at 4am….I truly get your point, I just don’t care enough who knows where I go or what money goes in and out of my bank account or I spend on Amazon….but that’s just me, I know I am a minority

Tommy-G wrote

I get it, I just don’t think anything I do is that interesting for me to care. I don’t care if my cameras catch me walking naked to the laundry room or Alexa hears me yell at the dumb cat at 4am….I truly get your point, I just don’t care enough who knows where I go or what money goes in and out of my bank account or I spend on Amazon….but that’s just me, I know I am a minority

Exactly, personal data is just noise. That being said, screw Alexa.

BMWGUYinCO wrote

And don't get me started on what my BMW is reporting.

Some of us will be able to answer that question with a "not much" in a few weeks when the 3G cellular systems are shut down.....