Legality of removing sim cards from cars in Australia
Legality of removing sim cards from cars in Australia
Does anyone know about the legality of removing the built-in sim cards from your car, specifically in Australia?
I don't intend on using any car smart-features when I get one. For context, I've never owned a car. When I do get one though, I intend to remove the sim card to prevent the car's location from being constantly tracked. All I care about in terms a cars functionality is a radio, a CD drive (Yes, I use CD's), and Bluetooth audio, so I don't think removing the sim card should affect this much, if at all. Any knowledge and advice would be appreciated, thankyou!
Update: What I was referring to is an eSim, which appears not to be in the form of a physical card. Even so, if possible, I would like to disable the functionality of this eSim assuming the car I purchase has one in-built. From my research, I cannot find anything that explicitly forbids disabling or removing Sims.
If it's a newer car, it's unlikely that it will even have a physical sim and instead use esim.
Source: did work for a major automaker and talked to people on the teams involved
Find a car that isn't supported for network features anymore is my primary suggestion. (Using the 3g network or before)
Thanks, I didn't know the eSims weren't physical cards.
Btw, 3G network is shutting down extremely soon for both Optus and Telstra (and providers using their networks), so I won't be able to do that with any future car. Telstra is going on August 31, Optus is going in September. Your phone probably isn't locked to 3G, but even if your phone supports 4G and/or 5G but does not support a technology called "VoLTE", you may not be able to call emergency services after the 3G closure date. Both Telstra and Optus have provided an option to easily check if your phone is compatible after the closure. Using either Optus, Telstra, or other providers using their network, you can text 3 to the number 3498 and they will send you an automated message telling you whether your phone will be affected after the closure or not.
https://www.optus.com.au/support/mobiles-tablets-wearables/important-changes-3g
https://www.telstra.com.au/support/mobiles-devices/3g-closure
You can always physically disconnect/remove the cellular modem entirely.
I doubt any modern car with those features have a physical sim card you can remove. They are probably all using some sort of esim. On some cars the antennas can be unplugged but that depends on the specific model. If you're unlucky, you will not even be able to remove the tracking features at all because they are integrated with other components needed to function.
With regards to the legality of that, I unfortunately cant help you there. Probably best to search for local cases or ask a local lawyer.
Your best option in probably buing a used car thats old enogh not to track you. Hope that helps a bit
As others have said it will likely be an ESIM or similar solution because there isn't a need for the manufacturer to support physical SIMs.
Regarding being tracked though, Australia has ANPR just like most other developed countries, you will be trackable even if your car was just a Flintstones car with a numberplate.
I'd also add if you've got a phone in your pocket, that's just as trackable
This is more about the car maker harvesting data, rather than just tracking the car. Car makers have been (quietly) building more tech into their cars to collect data for the purposes of selling it to third parties. It's effectively the enshittification of cars.
It’s not Toyota it’s all of them and Mozilla did a much better report
That is not the problem, it’s the incredible invasion of privacy the cars have from the manufacturer not the state. Lookup Mozilla privacy report on cars for more information. It’s appalling.
I’m interested in this topic as well. I know I’m being tracked on my phone, but I’m much more confident my phone manufacturer is not selling/giving my data to police or insurance companies. Those are who I’m concerned with tracking me.
but I’m much more confident my phone manufacturer is not selling/giving my data to police or insurance companies
Without a doubt they are absolutely doing this.
Apple is the manufacturer who makes the biggest hoo-ha over privacy, yet they gave user data to the police 90% of the time (Google was surprisingly lower at 80%)
Plus if you have a subscription to a mobile cellular network, as basically everyone with a phone does, that will also be constantly tracking you (and I believe also directly available to the police).
That's all without going into whether you trust every single third party app on your phone and every website you visit.
It’s not just the phone manufacturer, but the mobile carrier, and apps with access to your location (like weather apps, or map apps)
I can't speak to the legality, but if you own the vehicle 100%, I can't see removing parts from the vehicle being illegal as long as they don't impinge on road safety.
I would recommend removing more than just the SIM card, if the radios have their own fuse, take the fuse out, or physically remove the radios themselves.
Yep. It's your car to do with it what you want. The ADRs (Australian Design Rules) only apply at point of sale. Once it's yours, it merely needs meet roadworthy requirements. As long as you keep a functioning speedo, wipers and lights, you can rip out every bit of electronics in the car.
You'd better be leaving your phone at home every time you drive that car or you've defeated the point
Not necessarily true. Don't let perfection be the enemy of good enough. Limiting the number of organizations that have your data is a good thing. There's no reason the car vendor needs that data
Also there’s many more settings on a phone to disable share your location for most uses vs on a car where it seems like your location goes straight to insurance companies.
Airplane mode - callers can leave a message. VoIP - it's connected via wifi or mobile data. I'm in Canada but the three times I checked where my IP says I am, it was in UK or NL. Of course there are alternative OSs for androids.
Research the fuses on the car. The smart systems or modem can most likely be disabled by removing power to them.
Or if the fuses apply to too broad of a system, the wireless modem should be able to be disconnected.
Manufacturers like to implement this capability using modules which can be used across their lines of vehicles. Here's an example for a 2017 Silverado, but you'd want to research service manuals / diagrams for the vehicle you're considering buying: https://www.silveradosierra.com/threads/2017-silverado-removed-lte-modem.660593/
Unfortunately, any mobile data component likely to be integrated with something more integral to the car, like the entire entertainment/climate control interface, or something equally difficult/impossible to drive without.
Get an old car instead?
that won't work forever
It'll work for longer than a new car... minus the tracking.
the modem or mobile router in the car is what can be tracked by telcos via IMEI pings with or without an ESIM. telematics units can be disabled by pulling fuses and you should also call to opt out with most car manufacturers.
When you do finally drive, you'll find that having a GPS and such is awesome.
If you're paranoid to that extent, you're better off getting an old car honestly. But trust me, nobody cares about tracking your car, and there are so many licence plate readers here in Australia you're not really anonymous anyway
I think OP is referring to the whole "connected cars" thing, which isn't the same as GPS. Many cars nowadays have mobile data capabilities on and are, unbeknownst to the owner, sending all sorts of information to the car makers.
This isn't just governments and government contractors collecting data for road use and tolling. It's for-profit companies harvesting consumer data for their own purpose. OP is right to be paranoid.
I know how helpful GPS is. Also, I am not paranoid, and you shouldn't be making those kinds of assumptions about anyone you don't know. I simply want to minimize private data being open for abuse and am exploring what can and can't be done, and their benefits and disadvantages. This after all, is the privacy community you're talking in; where you share advice and knowledge about enhancing ones privacy, not telling them they are paranoid for pursuing it.
true, but totally irrelevant. Gps has nothing to do with sim cards
Cellular service has nothing to do with gps capabilities.
This is just the usual "nothing to hide" handwaving argument.
This data is not used by some theoretical policeman to laugh at how bad you drive, it is part of commercial datamining present in virtually all devices and services you use.
GPS and such? Great that I have a smartphone that I trust more, and have more control over, than this big blackbox with no access whatsoever.
Are you sure your car actually has a simcard?
edit rereading I see youre asking about a potential car for the future.
I found very little info- except this, which hints at having network connectivity without a simcard (and also discusses swapping sims). But I found very little else
https://intotomorrow.com/can-you-swap-the-sim-card-in-your-car/
A second link about someone asking whether they should remove the card before returning the car. The advice says to take it out. Which implies to me, for this car at least, itll function without a sim
https://www.fpaceforum.com/threads/leave-or-remove-sim-when-turning-car-in.47642/
Better would be to locate the antenna connection on the device that's doing the communication, and replace the antenna with a dummy load.
This is the first I've heard of a dummy load. What exactly would be the purpose of replacing the antenna with a dummy load?
RF analog electronics can often be damaged if powered without the antenna load, and of those that won't be damaged, many will be able to detect and fault for lack of antenna load.
So replacing the antenna with a dummy load will keep the system operating "normally" without risk of damage, but also without actually sending data.
I guess the manufacturer would void any warranty you have on the car, so there'that to be considered
I'm happy to take that to court. There are legal controls on what invalidates a warranty, including reasons that can't be signed away in a contract.
Doing god's work my mate!
With how big Australia is and how long the stretches are in which there are only things that want to kill and/or consume you how wise is it to do that? I'm not trolling, if I got jumped by a rowdy gang of drop crocs I'd rather people at least knew where to start looking for the pieces.
A better question is 'how often will you drive these areas'
For most it's never
A good point, but if privacy is their key concern then I would imagine it would have to be a two step approach - rip out the SIM and radio, but also have a couple of plan B's such as phones with location tracking (the irony isn't lost on me), land-based EPIRB's, or satphones or whatever's needed.
That, or invest in some drop-croc martial arts!
Good point but people have been driving to and from the outback long before the arrival of the connected car. Except the car, nothing else has changed much and it's still possible to drive around with a "basic" car. Besides, there's always the mobile phone if connectivity is required.
Tesla allow you to opt out of all connectivity
It means you would have no maps, no driver assist, no Internet radio
Anyway if you buy a car it is yours. The worst you can do is break the contact for whatever services are provided by the connectivity. You are allowed to modify a car however you like
Tesla don't support CD. You'd need to rip those to mp3 and keep them on your phone to play over Bluetooth
You are allowed to modify a car however you like
I'm pretty sure that's not the case. Like, even if we are not taking about adding a badly welded 4 wheel attachment without the use of a trailer hook, the car will have to go through technical inspection every few years.
If the inspectirs deem that a non-functional such system is a problem, you'll not be driving your car anywhere.If your modification makes it unroadworthy, you might not be allowed to drive it on public roads
If your modification changes its structure you may need certification that it is still roadworthy
I'm not seeing a case where you're restricted by law from modifying the car
Software has special legal protections. You can stop it working with impunity, you can break it with impunity, you cannot legally defeat security on the software. Corey Doctorow calls the software protections "felony contempt of business model"
This site may help you pick a car without a full-time connection. https://vehicleprivacyreport.com/report/
If it doesn't have a full-time connection, it's still possible to have an eSim, right?
There are basically two classes of cars.
A "hard drive on wheels" which records events encase of an accident - a black box.
The other is a "smartphone on wheels". These are the cars that have an eSim with a full-time internet connection.