DVR Chatter

GM has announced that police (or a resourceful hacker, or a determined stalker) will be able to remotely turn off 2,000,000 of their GM 2009 model year vehicles with OnStar installed.  Even discounting the whole "how long will it take for someone to figure out how to hack this" factor, is it possible that this is the one police power that absolutely every single police officer in every remote location in the country decides not to abuse?

Blogger Lauren Weinstein is not amused:

The claim is that owners will have to give permission first for this capability to be enabled. Bull. I don't care what OnStar's privacy policy says, if the technical capability for this function is present, OnStar will have no practical choice but to comply when faced with a law enforcement demand or court order, whether or not owner "permission" was ever granted.

This new capability will also create an irresistible challenge to the hacker community -- and perhaps criminal organizations -- to try find ways into the OnStar system for triggering this fun -- one way or another. It's impossible to hack OnStar? Would you bet your life on that?