Post #2620925
2026-05-16 22:48 UTC
Thank you for posting this. These devices are getting out of control. They are marketed as a convenience to the driver, when in actuality they are capturing and selling your location and driving habit information to data brokers and insurance companies. Sometimes dealerships will even add an aftermarket tracking device to their vehicles without telling you. I removed one that I found in a Crosstrek I bought last year. The device I removed was made by iKON Technologies, and is ‘intended’ to be used for lot management at the dealership. The dealership tried to sell me an overpriced security plan associated with the GPS tracker. I declined. They left it on anyway. What they don’t tell you is that iKON Technologies installs them at no cost to the dealership, and that the tracker is used for repossessions and capturing data to be used for targeted marketing or sell to data brokers. Some devices have the ability to inhibit your starter and ignition system like the one in this manual.
Replies (4)
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@edgesmash@lemmy.world 2026-05-16 23:18
Slap that tracker on a car belonging to an employee of the dealership.
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@dai@lemmy.world 2026-05-18 11:54
They wish they hadn’t
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@Eheran@lemmy.world 2026-05-16 23:00
How is that in any way legal where you are?
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@lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-05-18 21:04
and that the tracker is used for repossessions The only dealers that use those kinds of trackers are BHPH lots, or dealers who handle a lot of high-risk customers. It’s still shitty, but the contract you sign when you buy one of these cars absolutely does state their usage.