Fair warning re. Cars.gov

[Evan]

DON'T GO THERE...EVER...AT ALL!!!

Watch and decide for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAOBlqUqUZ8

Evan

[Buzz]

Fist off, Glenn Beck is an idiot.

Second, that isn't something that citizens log into with their computers. It is a website for the DEALERSHIPS to use when doing a cash for clunkers transaction.

Third, it doesn't take over the computer forever. It says that WHILE your are logged into the system, your system is considered a federal computer. But they go on and on about how your computer is taken over forever.

[Evan]

Buzz,

I don't really watch Glenn much. It's clear that he has an axe to grind, but this was very interesting. I have friends who are in the car business who are skeptical about nearly all aspects of the Cash for Clunkers program.

But what a grotesque stipulation, don't you think? It really does position government officials to do the Big Brother thing to the extreme.

Thought others might like to be aware of it.

Evan

[YardleyLabs]

If you go to cars.gov, you will find announcements saying that the program is still in effect and a link to a privacy policy that says

DOT PRIVACY POLICY

Content updated on August 8, 2006

Our Commitment

We respect your right to privacy and will protect it when you visit our website.
This Privacy Policy explains our online information practices only, including how we collect and use your personal information. It does not apply to third-party websites that you are able to reach from this website, nor does it cover practices of other areas within the Department of Transportation. We encourage you to read those privacy policies to learn how they collect and use your information.
What We Automatically Collect Online

We collect information about your visit that does not identify you personally. We can tell the computer, browser, and web service you are using. We also know the date, time, and pages you visit. Collecting this information helps us design the site to suit your needs. In the event of a known security or virus threat, we may collect information on the web content you view.
Other Information We May Collect

When you visit our website, we may request and collect the following categories of personal information from you:

• Contact information
• IDs and passwords

Why We Collect Information

Our principal purpose for collecting personal information online is to provide you with what you need and want, address security and virus concerns, and to ease the use of our website.
We will only use your information for the purposes you intended, to address security or virus threats, or for the purposes required under the law. ....

It looks just like privacy statements from other websites. The dealer site is virtually identical and does not contain any of the statement made by Glenn Beck.

[Evan]

Best updated information I can find at present:

Analysis: What's true in the above is that for an unspecified period of time car dealers participating in the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Cash for Clunkers" program encountered the following warning upon accessing the program's vendors-only website:

This application provides access to the DOT CARS system. When logged on to the CARS system, your computer is considered a federal computer system and is property of the United States government... users have no explicit or implicit expectation of privacy. Any or all uses of this system and all files on this system may be intercepted, monitored, recorded, copied, audited, inspected and disclosed to authorized CARS, DOT and law enforcement personnel, as well as authorized officials of other agencies, both domestic and foreign. By using this system, the user consents to such interception, monitoring, recording, copying, auditing, inspection, and disclosure at the discretion CARS or the DOT personnel.

No laughing matter. Nor is it especially comforting to know that only registered dealerships, not the general public, were confronted with the message. It has since been changed.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a watchdog group focusing on free speech and privacy issues on the Internet, the terms of service language was not only "careless" and "overreaching" but also legally unenforceable and technically dubious:

Clicking "continue" on a poorly worded Terms of Service on a government site will not give the government the ability to "tap into your system... any time they want." The seizure of the personal and private information stored on your computer through a one-sided click-through terms of service is not “conscionable” as lawyers say, and would not be enforceable even if the cars.gov website was capable of doing it, which we seriously doubt. Moreover, the law has long forbidden the government from requiring you to give up unrelated constitutional rights (here the 4th Amendment right to be free from search and seizure) as a condition of receiving discretionary government benefits like participation in the Cars for Clunkers program.

As of this writing, the revised terms of service language is more like what one typically finds on government websites and reads as follows:

You are accessing a U.S. Government information system. This information system, including all related equipment, networks, and network devices, is provided for U.S. Government-authorized use only. Unauthorized or improper use of this system is prohibited, and may result in civil and criminal penalties, or administrative disciplinary action. The communications and data stored or transiting this system may be, for any lawful Government purpose, monitored, recorded, and subject to audit or investigation. By using this system, you understand and consent to such terms.

This is from urbanlegends.com.

Evan

[Bob Gutermuth]

1984 is here, Big Brother is only 25 yrs later than predicted.

[brandywinelabs]

Perhaps the person/people that wrote this were honest in the first draft.
Perhaps the second draft is......?

Analysis: What's true in the above is that for an unspecified period of time car dealers participating in the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Cash for Clunkers" program encountered the following warning upon accessing the program's vendors-only website:

This application provides access to the DOT CARS system. When logged on to the CARS system, your computer is considered a federal computer system and is property of the United States government... users have no explicit or implicit expectation of privacy. Any or all uses of this system and all files on this system may be intercepted, monitored, recorded, copied, audited, inspected and disclosed to authorized CARS, DOT and law enforcement personnel, as well as authorized officials of other agencies, both domestic and foreign. By using this system, the user consents to such interception, monitoring, recording, copying, auditing, inspection, and disclosure at the discretion CARS or the DOT personnel.

No laughing matter. Nor is it especially comforting to know that only registered dealerships, not the general public, were confronted with the message. It has since been changed. [/INDENT]

[Steve Amrein]

I was channel surfing the news sat am and they interviewed a dealer the is to date out of pocket over a million bucks. He stated that research has shown that only 10-15 % of claims for clunkers is being processed for dealers nationwide.

[road kill]

I was channel surfing the news sat am and they interviewed a dealer the is to date out of pocket over a million bucks. He stated that research has shown that only 10-15 % of claims for clunkers is being processed for dealers nationwide.

Steve, I have a freind (yes I have a couple) that owns a series of dealerships in my area.
He is not happy, nor are his attorneys.
Watch what happens here.

His unhappiness stems from a couple hundred payments (from 5 stores) that he has not gotten and advice on the web-site.

They have described it to me as a corrupt scam.

But hey, what do they know???????????

[dnf777]

1984 is here, Big Brother is only 25 yrs later than predicted.

It arrived in perfect Style 8 years ago! War is Peace, Good is Bad, Black is white.