Modem Delete?

[Nemesis]

Is there a way to simply pull a fuse or something straightforward for those of us who don't want big brother in our truck?

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[XLT22]

It’s probably easiest to lay down the rear passenger seat and yank the cellular plugs from the TCU if you’re concerned about nonexistent problems.

 

[tbinmd]

just turn off the data sharing options in sync. Guess you don’t carry a cell phone?

 

[charmai101]

I actually really like this feature, and wonder if someone stole my truck, will he or she be able to turn off the tracker?

 

[notabot]

I actually really like this feature, and wonder if someone stole my truck, will he or she be able to turn off the tracker?

The clip for the fiber panel/cover comes out in 2 seconds. Pulling the panel down to access the modem w/o destroying it takes 15 second. The power cables can be pulled from the cellular modem in 3 seconds.

 

[charmai101]

The clip for the fiber panel/cover comes out in 2 seconds. Pulling the panel down to access the modem w/o destroying it takes 15 second. The power cables can be pulled from the cellular modem in 3 seconds.

Well, that's not good. I was hoping Ford would make it harder to disable the tracker. Guess a lot of people are not comfortable with their truck being tracked all the time.

 

[Aron]

The clip for the fiber panel/cover comes out in 2 seconds. Pulling the panel down to access the modem w/o destroying it takes 15 second. The power cables can be pulled from the cellular modem in 3 seconds.

...Assuming that the thief has a HUGE amount of knowledge with regards to what to disable and where to find the relevant components. Unless the thieves are laser-focused on Gen14 F-150s with a detailed knowledge of relevant capabilities and system weaknesses, it seems to me that it would be unlikely that many car thieves would think to do this, or know how to. It's certainly possible, but I would think that this possibility is outweighed by the users' (or mechanics') ability to maintain/upgrade those same systems, and by Ford's manufacturing processes. It's all a balancing act.

 

[notabot]

...Assuming that the thief has a HUGE amount of knowledge with regards to what to disable and where to find the relevant components. Unless the thieves are laser-focused on Gen14 F-150s with a detailed knowledge of relevant capabilities and system weaknesses, it seems to me that it would be unlikely that many car thieves would think to do this, or know how to.

FWIW, I don't know any personally, but I'll venture a guess and say truck thieves watch youtube.

FWIW, modem was in same location on my 2016 F150...

Not a balancing act - Maintain your insurance policy and don't leave uber-valuable schtuff in your vehicle if at all possible.

 

[Aron]

Not a balancing act - Maintain your insurance policy and don't leave uber-valuable schtuff in your vehicle if at all possible.

I agree wtih all of that! What I meant by "balancing act" is the tradeoffs between ease of manufacture/maintenance vs. hardening the system to make it more difficult for potential thieves to interact with those systems.

 

[Onyx]

If you do some searching online you'll find many concerned with the kind of data Ford is collecting and who they share it with. It’s like being in your home at night, forced to have all the curtains open while a group of suits stand outside your windows and watch everything you do. Just because you have nothing to hide, does that make it okay? Of course not. Look into the fine print of what Ford collects and who they share it with and guaranteed it will make many second guess whether they want the modem connected. The precedent set by allowing these things, let alone ridiculing those who ask about (nonexistent problem, muh carry a cellphone) will only make it worse in the future. Look at what BMW is doing to their customers right now. Do we really want that?

The Tremor forum has talked about this extensively:

Disabling the modem (pulling the fuse)

 

[Nemesis]

If you do some searching online you'll find many concerned with the kind of data Ford is collecting and who they share it with. It’s like being in your home at night, forced to have all the curtains open while a group of suits stand outside your windows and watch everything you do. Just because you have nothing to hide, does that make it okay? Of course not. Look into the fine print of what Ford collects and who they share it with and guaranteed it will make many second guess whether they want the modem connected. The precedent set by allowing these things, let alone ridiculing those who ask about (nonexistent problem, muh carry a cellphone) will only make it worse in the future. Look at what BMW is doing to their customers right now. Do we really want that?

The Tremor forum has talked about this extensively:

Disabling the modem (pulling the fuse)

Thank you, this link has exactly what I was looking for.

My early 2000s model truck runs just fine without big brother watching, I'd like my 2023 model to do the same.

By the way, I work on embedded software for mobile machinery for a living.

 

[Onyx]

Thank you, this link has exactly what I was looking for.

My early 2000s model truck runs just fine without big brother watching, I'd like my 2023 model to do the same.

By the way, I work on embedded software for mobile machinery for a living.

Nice, so you understand the backdoor stuff first person stuff then. I'm coming from older trucks too- I've never owned one newer than 15 years. While the new technology in my 21 is great, what got me looking into modem removal was the blocking of third party tunes. That's been overcome for now but will they be locked out again through future updates?

Here's another thread that goes into the details of that information and who it's shared with:

Breaking the Data Link with FordPass

As some of you are aware, Ford has the ability to collect huge amounts of data from vehicles equipped with FordPass connectivity. Ford's authority to exercise this ability lies in the Terms of Service for FordPass app and the linking of a VIN to the account. Basically, linking a VIN to your account tells Ford that you are the authorized user of the vehicle, and you are authorizing Ford to collect all electronic data from the vehicle.

This is in bold type at the beginning of the FordPass Terms:

• FordPass relies on data from you, your computer or mobile device, and from your vehicle -- such as vehicle location and driving data -- if your vehicle is equipped with connectivity features or technologies and associated to your FordPass account. This is so we can deliver to you great functionality and services, as well as communications tailored to your interests. We may share this information, including with our authorized dealers and affiliates, as described in the FordPass Privacy Policy, which you can read in Section 2 below.

The data collected is awfully intrusive

• Vehicle Location: Non-precise or precise location/GPS information, including current vehicle location, travel direction, speed, charging locations used (if applicable), and information about the environment where the vehicle is operated (such as weather, road segment data, trail and road surface conditions and geometry, traffic signs, and other surroundings, may be collected from the vehicle in connection with location-based functions of FordPass. Vehicle Location may also be derived from IP address.
• Driving Data (may also be referred to as Driving Characteristics and Behavior): Information about how the vehicle is operated and used (such as speed, use of accelerator, brakes, steering, seat belts, etc.).
• Vehicle Data (may also be referred to as Vehicle Information): Information about the vehicle, its components and parts, including their status and performance and diagnostics of vehicle systems (such as the VIN, hardware model and part numbers, odometer, tire pressure, fuel and fluid levels, battery and lock status, trouble codes, warning indicators, alerts, and SYNC diagnostics), vehicle charging information (if applicable), and other information about how the vehicle is performing.
• Audio/Visual (may also be referred to as Connected Voice Data, Digital Assistant, or Ford Assistant): Voice commands and other utterances captured when the vehicle’s voice recognition system is in “active listen” state.

What they do with it isn't cool:

• WE MAY send communications about products, services, offers, promotions, news, and more that are customized based on your personal information, including your location, speed, and driving characteristics.

What products, services, and offers could possibly be tied to your speed or driving characteristics? Oh, that's right. Automobile insurance. That's precisely the kind of backdoor information that insurers will pay handsomely for. In fact, the information is so valuable that Ford continues to pay for a data connection to our vehicles even if we don't. In exchange, they let us use their data connection for remote start and remote monitoring of the vehicle.

 

[erixgix]

If you do some searching online you'll find many concerned with the kind of data Ford is collecting and who they share it with. It’s like being in your home at night, forced to have all the curtains open while a group of suits stand outside your windows and watch everything you do. Just because you have nothing to hide, does that make it okay? Of course not. Look into the fine print of what Ford collects and who they share it with and guaranteed it will make many second guess whether they want the modem connected. The precedent set by allowing these things, let alone ridiculing those who ask about (nonexistent problem, muh carry a cellphone) will only make it worse in the future. Look at what BMW is doing to their customers right now. Do we really want that?

The Tremor forum has talked about this extensively:

Disabling the modem (pulling the fuse)

It is pretty sad to see the degree to which folks have given up and look the other way with privacy concerns. As much as it pains me to say it, we lost the privacy war some time ago. The death of a 1000 cuts over the last 10-20+ years felled privacy, assisted by generational attitudes and a growing general disregard for privacy concerns over the desire for modern conveniences.

No matter how many real world examples of abuses one can point to carried out for the purposes of monetization under the guise of safety, security, or improvement...you will never convince certain people that it can could have been controlled if not actually prevented.

Almost none of us are willing to unplug and go live off in the woods though, lol. So it's just a matters of degree with what we are willingly throwing out there.

 

[Snakebitten]

I live in the woods and they knew it before I got my Powerboost and Alexa moved in with me.

Regrettable.
But what can I do?
I fell in love.

 

[erixgix]

I live in the woods and they knew it before I got my Powerboost and Alexa moved in with me.

Regrettable.
But what can I do?
I fell in love.

Its the unplugging that we just can't do. Well....we could...but no one is putting the genie back in the bottle. The conveniences own got us. hard for us to deny it when you bought a 7.2kw mobile generator.

The picture in my mind, is screaming at the ocean to stop waves from coming in.

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