[riiii]

GPS car data was used to find a crossbow killer in the UK few years ago.

The killer torched the car but the car had already uploaded GPS and black box data.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65985341

I recommend the referenced podcast there, the whole story is crazy.

[mattigames]

To avoid such tracking would have been enough use a gps scrambler? Or maybe wrap the in-car GPS with tinfoil?

[michaelt]

In the Anglesea crossbow case, there were only 17 people on the island who'd brought crossbows. So presumably the police were going through his digital footprint with a fine toothed comb.

If you're one of 17 suspects; a car only you have the keys to gets stolen and burned on the night of the murder, with the car's GPS mysteriously failing during the theft; your Amazon purchase history shows you ordering a crossbow, the type of bolt used in the murder and a GPS jammer; the crossbow bolts you ordered have disappeared; your alibi is you were with someone who denies having been with you; and the phone network says your phone was in the area the murder happened?

You're probably still going to jail.

[mattigames]

That was not the question, I'm only interested in the possibilities to avoid gps tracking not any other mistakes the killer might have done.

[mystified5016]

Just pull the fuse on the infotainment systems. Disconnect the antennas and pull the Sim card.

GPS jammers are (AFAIK) quite illegal in most places and buying one will attract much more attention than modifying your car in your garage.

[OptionOfT]

While I fully support the privacy measures, I'd like to add a couple of caveats:

1) current cars have eSIMs embedded in the modules, no way to remove them.

2) assuming you can disable the (e)SIM, you also disable the eCall system. Although BMWs allow you to upload your own eSIM, I'm not sure which one is used for eCall / other services.

3) Disabling the MMI these days is fraught with peril, as they run the driver's display (speed, rpm etc) as well.

[Gigachad]

Seems like the best option is to escape by bicycle.

[agilob]

But don't visit McDonalds in the following days

[netsharc]

Wasn't it a CitiLink/rent-a-bike type of bikes, which have GPS modules on them?

[michaelt]

> On X, some users tried to chase leads on Citi Bike - New York's bicycle rental system - for clues. One user posted details about a bike that seemed to have been the only one that left the area shortly after the shooting and headed toward Central Park. Police later told media outlets they believe that the killer likely used an unmarked e-bike, not a Citi Bike.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/internet-sleuths-hunt-clues...

[soulofmischief]

Luigi Mangioni was tracked using a CitiBike.

[mattlondon]

I am guessing but I suspect there is an "easily accessible" SIM slot somewhere. Might be somewhere convenient like behind a panel in the glovebox, or might be in the bowels of the engine bay along with the other ECU things.

I would be surprised if it was not "easily" removable though ... Unless they are using esims now?

(Nothing in modern cars is "easy" to do - everything is a bitch to access and tighten/untighten etc - even oil filters etc which in theory should be able to be changed regularly are sometimes in incredibly inaccessible locations)

[ninalanyon]

The SIM card in my 2015 Tesla S is definitely not quickly accessible but it is fairly straightforward. Tesla's mobile service technician took close to 20 minutes to remove various bits of trim under the bonnet, replace the SIM card, put everything back together, and check that it worked.

[numpad0]

A car is not like a computer but a rack full with cables running across. To disable telemetry, the telematics module needs to be located and removed.

That touchscreen in the center of dashboard is just a self contained smoke and mirrors for occupant distraction. It does influence purchase decisions for a lot of people, but architecturally it's nearly purely decorative(especially in "legacy big auto" cars).

[stavros]

I don't know much about car tracking specifically, but I really doubt they have anything more than a simple GPS module. If you disable that, you lose fine-grained tracking. You'd still have the phone company triangulating your radio's location, which is lower-resolution, but you may want to disable that as well.

Really, disabling the radio entirely would be your best bet.

[tyingq]

Could be tough. I imagine the bus connections between the gps, radio, and systems needed for the car to operate are often intertwined. Might be easier to find and cut the antenna leads.

[stavros]

Yep, that's one way to disable the radio!

[cjrp]

Buy a 2005 Honda Civic and avoid the tracking issue entirely