On Thu, 25 Sep 2003, Mark Tuovinen wrote:

> The ability to record
> this information is not to spy on us as much as it is for diagnostics,
> they need to know what the car was doing when the problem occurred if
> they are to be able to repair it. The driver claimed to have been just
> driving along when the engine died. Death came with several broken
> valves, two destroyed pistons and connecting rods, and matching windows
> on each side of the block. Warranty denied!

Yup.  I frankly can't see any personal rights or privacy violations in the
engine computer recording RPM and control inputs for a short period before
an accident.  I think objections to this are mostly a gut-level reaction
by people who realize they will no longer be able to put one over on car
manufacturers or insurance companies.

Things like On*Star that actually log where you drive do seem like they're
ripe for abuse, though.

David Brodbeck, N8SRE
'82 Diesel Westfalia
'94 Honda Civic Si