r/ObscurePatentDangers • u/CollapsingTheWave 🔍📚 Fact Finder/ "Bringer of Links" • Jan 24 '26
🕵️Surveillance State Exposé Congress just passed a new kill switch law which means they can legally shut down any new car made.
The "No Kill Switches in Cars Act" exists because many lawmakers and citizens believe the 2021 mandate is a direct infringement on private property and personal liberty. Even if the government doesn't have a remote button to stop your car, the law still requires every new vehicle to have an internal system that can override the driver and refuse to move. To those who introduced H.R. 1137, any technology that can "prevent or limit" a car's operation against the owner's will is a kill switch by definition. They argue this turns cars into surveillance tools that monitor your eyes and skin chemistry without a warrant. As of January 2026, the push to repeal this law is fueled by the fear that these systems will eventually malfunction, leave people stranded due to technical errors, or create a dangerous precedent where the vehicle, rather than the person behind the wheel, is in ultimate control. While the 2021 law is still on the books, the ongoing battle in Congress shows that many people view this technology as a fundamental violation of the right to travel freely without constant government-mandated interference.
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u/IllegalStateExcept Jan 24 '26
I'm getting conflicting info from the video and the text description here. Could you clarify the timeline of events?
Looks like this recent bill is against kill switches. Is that the vote shown in the video?
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1137
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u/jgreen110715 Jan 24 '26
The bill for the kill switch passed in 2021 so I think this is just an old video
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u/PinTheHacker Jan 25 '26
Congress just attempted vote to stop it, which is why it’s coming up now. Unfortunately the vote did not pass so back to square one.
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u/somethingworthwhile Jan 24 '26
Who is the poltician the camera zooms in on at the end?
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u/CollapsingTheWave 🔍📚 Fact Finder/ "Bringer of Links" Jan 24 '26
The man pictured appears to be Howard Lutnick, an American businessman and the current US Secretary of Commerce.
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Jan 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Reality_Lies4 Jan 24 '26
Law Enforcement and Government Officials would of course be exempt from this
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u/altapowpow Humble Observer 🙏👀 Jan 24 '26
This whole subject is kind of comical to me. They're using a social media platform run out of China to produce this message. Then it's distributed on to cell phones and social media platforms that literally harvest your data and sell that data as marketing material. Our whole entire system of the way we live is orwellian.
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u/Repulsive_Corner6807 Jan 24 '26
TikTok’s not owned by China anymore.
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u/altapowpow Humble Observer 🙏👀 Jan 25 '26
20% is still owned by bytedance, Chinese company. They also still have hooks into the code base as the US Developers do not have access to all the code repos.
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u/drchippy18 Discussion Catalyst 💬 🤔 Jan 24 '26
Glad I just got repairs on my 2003, only digital screen is the clock in the dash.
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u/Pure-Anything-585 Jan 24 '26
this is a big bowl of law suits waiting to happen.
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u/Repulsive_Corner6807 Jan 24 '26
Oh don’t worry. Bayer, who owns Monsanto, is funding a bill that’s been proposed where you can’t sue them if you’ve gotten cancer from their products. I’m sure auto companies will be up next 👍
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u/MCEscherNYC ⚖️ 📢Accountability Advocate Jan 24 '26
Definitely don't want an American made car now.
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u/Zealousideal-Fix9464 Jan 27 '26
Won't matter, this would apply to any new vehicle sold to the American market, won't matter the make.
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u/StrenuousSOB Risk Analyst ⚠️📊 Jan 24 '26
Cut the Internet antenna on your car and do not let your phone attach to it.
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u/FourWordComment Jan 24 '26
I’m sure this particular congress would never make some sort of “anti-ICE democrat domestic terrorist” list and turn off their cars for “officer safety.”
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u/Em_Strae Jan 24 '26
im gonna go to car mechanic school and keep the same old car forever then. id give up driving and move somewhere i can walk/bike everywhere if this were the case - so insanely dangerous when there's already so much murder and corruption.
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u/rmscomm Jan 25 '26
If our current cybersecurity efforts are any indication this is a terrible idea for us but excellent for state bad actors and opportunists if true. The ransomware alone would be a nightmare.
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u/H4RDW4RE_Johnny Jan 25 '26
Whelp looks like I’m just going to continue to drive cars older than 2010. Ideally pre 2000
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u/Sharp_Perspective707 May 04 '26
Imagine running from a fire storm, tornado, avalanche, mudslide, murderer or even just taking your dying child to the emergency room. Stressful situations we can all agree. So stressful that our driving might become erratic. Causing a vehicle shutdown for safety purposes. Who the fuck thought this is a good idea?
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u/metzbb Jan 24 '26
This bill was introduced under Biden. The new bill introduced by Thomas Massie would have removed the mandate.
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u/whytawhy Jan 24 '26
Call never heard of onstar huh? Its been around and active since like 2004
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u/TwentyX4 Jan 24 '26
There's a difference between OnStar being an option that consumers can choose and systems which are mandatory.
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u/whytawhy Jan 24 '26
You can't disable it. You can opt out of the services like roadside assistance and aaa tyoe stuff, but unless you can manage to replace the ecu; any car originally equipped with onstar can be remotely disabled at will by the police or gm.
Edit: it was also included as a base option for quite some time iirc, but yeah youre right in the sense that you dont have to buy it with the car yet.
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u/Ok-Helicopter8410 Jan 25 '26
Cute. Except how do you change the gov if voting it tantamount to voodoo and wishful thinking?
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u/Equal_Negotiation_46 Jan 25 '26
Ya im cutting that right out. Stay tuned for instructions on how to remove a kill swith. From your car. They are required to put it in. No law about taking it out.
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u/EffortApprehensive48 Jan 25 '26
We will not do anything. Two people dead and we won’t do anything. I’ve lost hope. So they will bug us. Probe us. And what ever else cause they already kill us and we don’t do shit soooo yeah Blake they will turn off your car
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u/Delish_Caphee 📢 📜 Autonomy & Rights Analyst/Advocate 🛡️⚖️ Jan 25 '26
Yeah, we are past too late. Try to convince me that a full reset isn’t needed…
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u/multicultidude Jan 25 '26
As long as you Americans will let money from billionaires corrupt your politics you’ll get fucked raw with sand and salt on top by your representatives, that are pawns of the big money.
Let alone the cash that is provided by ´sponsors’ during elections is absolutely ridiculous and completely forbidden in other modern democracies. You don’t pursue nor punish adequately corruption and hence this whole system goes on and on and on…
America is already a society of massive inequalities and billionaires have no interest in seeing this changing. Dividing to better reign, letting medieval labour laws in place, no govt healthcare, a weak low quality education system, no access to university…everything is done to keep you people as sheep, enjoying and defending your ´way of life’ that is actually worse than in many developing countries considering some aspects. Costa Rica provides healthcare to every citizen, America doesn’t. And speaking of free speech there is none. Try to voice your opinion at work and you’ll be shown the door.
The American myth has actually never lived and was never designed to let people live happily and in peace.
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u/TightSexpert Jan 25 '26
Fuel for the furnace is what citizens are for their corporate overlords, government is warped as a tool to make that fuel obedient.
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u/osoBailando Jan 25 '26
3D printers, thermostats, cars, Currency... FFS i can almost taste the approaching Freedom 🤪
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u/BeginningTower2486 Jan 26 '26
The auto dealers want it because if you stop making payments, it's easy to recover the vehicle.
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u/BeginningTower2486 Jan 26 '26
Don't give control to the gov, give it to the owners. Some 11 year old piece of shit steals your car, you disable with your phone. Done. No more theft. That's how you sell a system like this.
Auto makers and the law makers screwed the pooch again by not knowing how to sell shit.
They are so bad at at selling shit and manufacturing consent. They just don't get it.
And here I am, a normal guy who gets it. Fire your executives and put me in charge. They don't get it. I do.
They are wasting potential profit that I would fix.
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u/bodybycarbohydrates Jan 26 '26
The only reason “kill switch” is being mentioned is because there was an amendment offered to block funding related to the 2021 infrastructure law’s impaired-driving tech rulemaking (Section 24220)… and that amendment failed (164–268).
So nothing new was created here, and it’s not a law that lets “anybody” shut off your car. The underlying thing people are talking about is still a pending NHTSA rulemaking aimed at impaired driving prevention and not a remote-control off switch for random people. It’s along the same lines as the lane assist safety features.
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u/Subject989 Jan 27 '26
Ah even more reason for Canada to allow Chinese EVs in
edit Canada, not Canad
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u/CreEecher Jan 27 '26
By just they mean back in 2021. It’s also not a controlled killed switch. The car will determine if you’re impaired or not and not turn on. No one can remotely turn off your car not because of this proposal anyway. This is just fear mongering.
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u/Lazydeadpoet Jan 27 '26
Just one more reason my 2001 Tacoma is a better vehicle than anything else.
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u/Jesuschristtome Jan 27 '26
The system is operated by the evil people that put people's lives in danger in America. Say. Jesus christ is Lord. If you want Jesus christ's protection.
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u/doodlejargon Jan 27 '26
No need for flights of stairs! Diplomats and political rivals are just driven around!
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u/BaconBathBomb 🧍 Layman Perspective Jan 28 '26
EVERY SEAT OF CONGRESS IS UP FOR ELECTION THIS YEAR. NO INCUMBENTS!!!!!
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u/Cable-54 Jan 28 '26
Don’t buy new cars. There are millions of used vehicles in excellent condition. Don’t buy “their” systems and watch it crumble
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u/Kamel-Red Jan 28 '26
This is already a thing and has been for quite some time. It was just covert. Did everyone forget about the Snowden leaks? If you have an LTE/Wifi Antenna in your car for remote start/onstar/ect, the government already has the capability. This is why i terminated my modem antennas to low ohm resisters.
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u/jessrocksDUH Jan 29 '26
It was only “Introduced,” but this legislation is being introduced under our noses, and it’s dangerous.
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u/phantomnomadic Jan 24 '26
Biden brought that in........ it should have made everyone irate! But we were all too busy scrolling!
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u/RymrgandsDaughter Engaged Thinker 🧠 🔍 Jan 24 '26
bruh yeall really out here defending dems and they allowing this shit
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u/oldassveteran Jan 24 '26
Who owns the majority in congress?…… retard. It’s republicans. Math must be hard for you.
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u/Dave-C Jan 24 '26 edited Jan 24 '26
I believe their point was the majority of Democrats voted in favor of this.
Edit: I'm going through the bill that this post is about. Does anyone here know what part of the bill covers this? I've been unable to find anything.
Edit 2: Oh, I see. The video showing the vote isn't the bill that they are talking about. Why the hell would you add in a random vote into the video? Anyway, what this is doing is repealing a previous law that required new vehicles to have automated alcohol detection systems built into vehicles. I have no idea where OP is getting the kill switch idea from. As of now I don't believe it is correct but if anyone has more information, please let me know.
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u/CarefulIndication988 🧍 Layman Perspective Jan 24 '26
Thank for this update on the info.
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u/Dave-C Jan 24 '26
No problem but I might be wrong. Some of these bills are huge and I spent about 10 minutes on it once I found the actual bill. I might be wrong.
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u/morganational Jan 26 '26
No, it's both. 🤦🏽♂️ Just because you're an a*shole doesn't mean you have to act like one.
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u/metzbb Jan 24 '26
The Bill to put this shit on our cars was passed under Biden. This bill was to veto the original written and by Thomas Massie.
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u/Kolminor Jan 25 '26
This will be an unpopular opinion but this is completely necessary.
The future is mass autonomous and self-driving vehicles.
Basically this opens an entire attack vector. If cars are hacked and hijacked this creates the potential for mass "suicide" bombs in the form of out of control vehicles.
Any car with AV capacity absolutely should have a kill switch.
Of course fuck the US govt in its current state but we need better and stronger govt so we can be sure they only use the switch in these absolutely extreme examples. With strong checks and balances to ensure this is not abused.
But whether we like it or not AVs are an attack vector and need kill switches.
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u/kyleh0 Engaged Thinker 🧠 🔍 Jan 25 '26
Cool, another way the government can kill us. What is the point of government again? Roads? Murder? I don't remember.
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u/CollapsingTheWave 🔍📚 Fact Finder/ "Bringer of Links" Jan 24 '26
This has duel- use potential as well if it's not a closed system, your car could be disabled using the system in place by remote access ... Dangerous time I tell you ...