At 01:30 PM 8/10/96 -0400, Timothy Lawrence Nali wrote:
Excerpts from internet.cypherpunks: 10-Aug-96 Police prepare stunning end.. by Gary Howland@systemics.c
[stuff about police wanting a new "stun gun" that can disable a car's electrical systems deleted]
1) You just noticed that your car is stolen. 2) You call the XXX security company to report your car as stolen. 3) The company beams down a signal by satellite/pager/cell-phone/etc. telling the car's security systems that the car has been stolen. 4) This signal instructs the car to disable itself (shut down the engine, lock the doors, etc.) and, via a GPS module and built-in cell-phone/pager/etc., transmit it's coordinates. 5) The car is recovered and everyone is happy.
Of course, once such systems are widespread, the XXX security company will be "encouraged" to cooperate with local police and send that shut-down signal to any car the police tell them to.
"Car-Key-Escrow"? Jim Bell jimbell@pacifier.com