Remove, disable, render inoperable all telematics and other data sending signals

[JimKIII]

Opting out, and subscribing for services are two different things. If you have a connected radio, it is always sending out truck data regardless of your subscriptions. You have to call them to opt out of everything. You have a 2022, which uses different connected services than pre-2022’s. For the pre-2022’s, there is a document with all the info on opting out completely, or of only certain things. I don’t see one for the 2022 ram connect services, so just call that number.
I’m not sure about the non-nav 8.4 Uconnect 5 radios, but for the 8.4 nav, and 12” Uconnect 5 radios, all the connectivity is handles by a separate telematics box. It can be disconnected, and then you would have to use AlfaOBD to disable all the VehConfig 8 telematics settings

Thanks Jimmy07. For advice purpose only, if you were in my shoes would opting out by calling the number be a better approach than going the telematics disconnect/disable route? One thought I have is if I went the telematics disconnect route, I'd probably want to wait until dealer warranty is over?

 

[CforHD]

@UglyViking were you ever able to locate the Cellular card and remove it?

 

[UglyViking]

@UglyViking were you ever able to locate the Cellular card and remove it?

I've not yet done it. I've got a list of items that I've been stuffing in the garage for springtime upgrades, and some of that will involve wiring inside the cab, so I'm planning to address it then since I'll be pulling the head unit at that time. I'll report back once I'm able to dig in, but unless there is some major changes I expect it will be rather straight forward.

 

[smm]

where is the telematics module located?

 

[gscottyg]

Anyone been succesful with this? I believe the box is on the passenger side behind glove box? Are these any devices yet that we can hook up obd and disable this crap?

 

[dragon_ram]

@Jimmy07 et al,

I'd read somewhere that painting the rooftop antenna shell in a non-conductive black paint would stop all in/out signals from that antenna cluster. This might be for radio, GPS, and satellite (XM) but I'm not sure if it would be for cellular and telematics. Any ideas? My goal is to stop all transmissions out of the vehicle - I'd rather keep GPS and radio but not required. If disconnecting the telematics box in the passenger side of the dash stops all transmission out, then that may be my move. Will that disable the wifi/bluetooth that CarPlay needs?

 

[techman]

Will that disable the wifi/bluetooth that CarPlay needs?

And Carplay isn't tracking your every move?

 

[jsalbre]

The chances that painting the antenna with black paint will do anything are exactly 0, unless you happen to fall and break the antenna off while you’re painting it.

 

[UglyViking]

+1, some paint will reduce the signal quality, but the number of coats you would have to put on for it to effectively disable the signal, well it would be comically large

 

[Brutal_HO]

 

[jsalbre]

View attachment 60779

This might be more effective.

 

[flan]

 

[jsalbre]

View attachment 60781

Yeah, some people probably ate too much of that as children.

 

[UglyViking]

Some of the comments are pretty funny. You can make all the jokes about tinfoil hats you want, but at the end of the day I don't understand the idea that if you value your privacy you're somehow a "weirdo".

One of the big printer manufactures (HP) has started to rollout a process that requires an active credit card hooked to your printer to print, and if that credit card on file expires, the company will remotely stop the printer from printing, even if you have ink remaining.

I work in tech, so before you jump on the "you have a tracking device in your pocket", I'm already aware and I take steps to obscure my connections as much as possible, at least to the level I feel is necessary for my personal use.

Do as you wish with your own truck, I'm not gonna tell you you should or shouldn't do this.

 

[phatboy64]

Or just get this and be done with it

 

[jsalbre]

Some of the comments are pretty funny. You can make all the jokes about tinfoil hats you want, but at the end of the day I don't understand the idea that if you value your privacy you're somehow a "weirdo".

One of the big printer manufactures (HP) has started to rollout a process that requires an active credit card hooked to your printer to print, and if that credit card on file expires, the company will remotely stop the printer from printing, even if you have ink remaining.

I work in tech, so before you jump on the "you have a tracking device in your pocket", I'm already aware and I take steps to obscure my connections as much as possible, at least to the level I feel is necessary for my personal use.

Do as you wish with your own truck, I'm not gonna tell you you should or shouldn't do this.

The HP printer thing (“Instant Ink”) is an ink subscription plan, and it’s been around since 2013. It’s for people who print a low and very predictable number of pages. You’re paying for printing by page, like you would at a print shop, not paying for the ink cartridge. Like any subscription, of course it stops if you stop paying. What does that have to do with telematics?

 

[UglyViking]

The HP printer thing (“Instant Ink”) is an ink subscription plan, and it’s been around since 2013. It’s for people who print a low and very predictable number of pages. You’re paying for printing by page, like you would at a print shop, not paying for the ink cartridge. Like any subscription, of course it stops if you stop paying. What does that have to do with telematics?

I can't recall if it was HP or another manufacture, but one of the big printer companies made it so that once you subscribe, you can't unsubscribe. Meaning once you stop paying you have a bricked device. I'm trying to draw parallels about the importance of having a device you functionally own.

Here is another one, one of the big streaming companies, I think Amazon, just removed a bunch of movies that people bought and paid for to "own" a digital copy. Maybe one day Ram decides to rollback a feature I previously had.

My point here is that telemetry can be used in ways that negatively affect end users. This doesn't even account for things like the police doing dragnets. Currently it's almost exclusively based on phones, but I can see it easily being extended to vehicles, if it hasn't been already, not to mention potentially reporting data about driving habits.

If you don't think Ram and others are looking for additional revenue streams with this data you're dead wrong.

Again, you do what you want with your own truck, I'm not trying to convince you or anyone what to do.

You remember before the snowden leaks happened and it was conspiracy all that was happening, these "shadow judges" giving blanket ability for the NSA and others to track citizens, and everyone that claimed stuff like this was probably happening was labeled a conspiracy theorist? Then the leaks came out and turns out the NSA was doing exactly this?

I value my privacy, I don't suspect the gov or anyone is out to get me, but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with all this telemetry data that my truck is surely sending somewhere, or could be at any time after a small OTA update.

Again, do as you like, I'm not trying to convince you what to do, but I don't quite know what you're hoping to gain by poking fun, clearly not going to convince me that I'm being paranoid by hurling lowly veiled insults. Catch more bees with honey and all that.

 

[jsalbre]

No insults and not poking fun. The foil shower cap was presented as something to put over the antenna. No more ridiculous, but far more effective than painting it.

 

[techman]

How does the telemetry data RAM is or isn't gathering about your truck affect you exactly? Not trying to being combative, just looking to educate myself about the actual data.

I'm super paranoid about my PII too. But I don't think RAM is going to drain my bank accounts or hack my identity by driving down the road.

Am I wrong?

 

[UglyViking]

How does the telemetry data RAM is or isn't gathering about your truck affect you exactly? Not trying to being combative, just looking to educate myself about the actual data.

I'm super paranoid about my PII too. But I don't think RAM is going to drain my bank accounts or hack my identity by driving down the road.

Am I wrong?

I've not spent the time to look at what is currently being gathered, and my guess is that the data packets are likely encrypted, or possibly in hex or some other format that would be a royal pain if not impossible to decode without the legend. I have no clue what actual data is being sent back, but it would be nice for the answer to be "none".

I don't think Ram is planning to do anything nefarious with the data, I don't think most folks that gather massive amounts of metadata plan to do anything nefarious. That said, though actions or others, greed, or stupidity, the data can leak or potentially get me in trouble in other ways. I'm simply trying to reduce.