So, recently two facts came to my attention:
1: GM's OnStar system, which my truck has, can not only track your movements and speed, but also can remotely slow down or shut off the vehicle. And it could be used to listen in on any conversation inside the vehicle. (Even if you're not subscribed to the service.)
2: The government owns a large portion of GM.
I invite you to accuse me of paranoia, but his made me somewhat uneasy. So, I went in search of a solution. I decided that OnStar had to go.
After looking around online, I was able to find out where in my truck the module is located: behind the glove compartment's back-plate. Luckily, from underneath the dash, with my head on the passenger floorboard, I could see the module from below, and I could see where the antenna was plugged into the system. I wiggled my arm in behind the dash, and unscrewed the connector, disconnecting the antenna, and moving the cable off to the side.
(A lot of the truck's electronics run through this module (as if to discourage its removal), but removing the antenna just greatly reduces the signal strength, making the OnStar system always think that is it just out of signal range temporarily, so there are no side effects.)
Then, of course, I had to test it. I cranked up the truck, and tried to activate the OnStar system. I was very gratified to hear "sorry, but I cannot connect right now, please try again."
Now, it is impossible for anyone to track my truck's movements, or remotely disable it. (Which makes me feel a lot better.)
(So, in 98-06 suburbans, avalanches, and silverados (and GMC and Cadillac versions), the OnStar module can easily be disconnected from the antenna by reaching up through the dash from the passenger floorboard. Other GM cars with the system could be disabled the same way, but you'll have to find out where the module is and how to get to it yourself.)
Am I overly paranoid to disable this system, even though I don't use it? Has anybody else here thought about disabling that system? Really, it's surprising how easy it is to do, once you know how.
1: GM's OnStar system, which my truck has, can not only track your movements and speed, but also can remotely slow down or shut off the vehicle. And it could be used to listen in on any conversation inside the vehicle. (Even if you're not subscribed to the service.)
2: The government owns a large portion of GM.
I invite you to accuse me of paranoia, but his made me somewhat uneasy. So, I went in search of a solution. I decided that OnStar had to go.
After looking around online, I was able to find out where in my truck the module is located: behind the glove compartment's back-plate. Luckily, from underneath the dash, with my head on the passenger floorboard, I could see the module from below, and I could see where the antenna was plugged into the system. I wiggled my arm in behind the dash, and unscrewed the connector, disconnecting the antenna, and moving the cable off to the side.
(A lot of the truck's electronics run through this module (as if to discourage its removal), but removing the antenna just greatly reduces the signal strength, making the OnStar system always think that is it just out of signal range temporarily, so there are no side effects.)
Then, of course, I had to test it. I cranked up the truck, and tried to activate the OnStar system. I was very gratified to hear "sorry, but I cannot connect right now, please try again."
Now, it is impossible for anyone to track my truck's movements, or remotely disable it. (Which makes me feel a lot better.)
(So, in 98-06 suburbans, avalanches, and silverados (and GMC and Cadillac versions), the OnStar module can easily be disconnected from the antenna by reaching up through the dash from the passenger floorboard. Other GM cars with the system could be disabled the same way, but you'll have to find out where the module is and how to get to it yourself.)
Am I overly paranoid to disable this system, even though I don't use it? Has anybody else here thought about disabling that system? Really, it's surprising how easy it is to do, once you know how.
