“Government Wants to Control Your Car” and Prevent You From ‘Tinkering’ Under DMCA Copyright

By Mac Slavo

Think you own your car? Think again.

How much do we truly “own” of our own lives, anyway?

With income taxes, property taxes on homes and property, manipulations and interventions of the markets, the food supply and health care, education and many other areas, we may ultimately own very little. For now, our souls remain out of reach.

Automobiles, our ability to legally drive and our inherent freedom to travel are all under systematic attack.

Buying a car no longer means that you have own it, use it, alter it or modify it. Restrictions on drivers and advanced traffic monitoring are being met with the trickle-down effects on auto manufacturers – the rules for emissions, safety standards and environmental regulations are being used to prevent individuals from tampering with computer-regulated motor technology.

It puts a whole new spin on the concept of the engine governor.

In a forward-thinking post, auto/libertarian blogger Eric Peters wrote:

The government wants to control your car – how it’s made, what it comes equipped with and (of course) how you’re allowed to drive it. Now comes the other half of the pincers:

The car companies want to prevent you from working on the thing.

Modifications – performance enhancements – and even routine maintenance are to become illegal via the application (and enforcement) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to cars.

They are claiming propriety rights to the software embedded in the computer – technically, the Electronic Control Unit or ECU – that pretty much runs a modern car.

They claim – and you knew this was coming, right? – that saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafety is threatened by people doing their own maintenance or tweaking/tuning as such might affect how the various saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafety systems embedded in the car and controlled by the ECU operate.

Safety.

The straight jacket is slowly tightening – and, as usual, it is in the name of safety, security and peace of mind.

Your rights of mobility have been restricted by the rules placed on state-licensed vehicles, on environmentally regulated engine parts, and by computer-monitored sensors that act as a black box for authorities, and check for vehicle compliance on these and other matters.