From: Timothy Lawrence Nali <tn0s+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 03:33:25 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Police prepare stunning end for high-speed car chases
In-Reply-To: <199608101504.RAA03459@internal-mail.systemics.com>
Message-ID: <Mm3AQMW00iWS01lKNa@andrew.cmu.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Excerpts from internet.cypherpunks: 10-Aug-96 Police prepare stunning
end.. by Gary Howland@systemics.c 

[stuff about police wanting a new "stun gun" that can disable a car's
electrical systems deleted] 

> Three questions come to mind:
>  
>         Will old fashioned engines be outlawed?
>         Will the "stun guns" be outlawed?
>         Will susceptible electronic systems become mandatory?
>         (and if so, why not just put a remote control switch in all cars?)

That last one may already be true.  I don't know about automotive
electronic systems, but there's a nice sticker on the back of my
computer that states the following:

        This device complies with the FCC, part 15 rules.
        Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
        1)  This device may not cause harmful interference.
        2)  This device must accept any interference received,
            including interference that may cause undesired operation.

And as for remote controls in all cars, that's not as far fetched as one
may think.  Watch for this in the form of car alarm/security systems. 
Imagine the following scenrio:

1) You just noticed that your car is stolen.
2) You call the XXX security company to report your car as stolen.
3) The company beams down a signal by satellite/pager/cell-phone/etc. 
   telling the car's security systems that the car has been stolen.
4) This signal instructs the car to disable itself (shut down the engine, 
   lock the doors, etc.) and, via a GPS module and built-in 
   cell-phone/pager/etc., transmit it's coordinates.
5) The car is recovered and everyone is happy.

Of course, once such systems are widespread, the XXX security company
will be "encouraged" to cooperate with local police and send that
shut-down signal to any car the police tell them to.

_____________________________________________________________________________
 
 Tim Nali            \  "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of
 tn0s@andrew.cmu.edu  \   the dreams" -Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory