Important PSA About Cars.Gov
By Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy on August 1, 2009 at 1:00 PM in Auto Industry, Bailouts, Current Affairs, Stimulus Plan
This is just shocking. I’m not kidding – this is really frightening. And it is important information as a follow-up to my post about the “Cash for Clunkers” program (major H/T to NQ reader, Politicalidentitycrisis for this link).
You are absolutely NOT going to believe this. Don’t be put off by this being Glenn Beck – I’m not a huge fan, but he is absolutely right to be outraged by this. You should be, too:
My favorite part is the “…and law enforcement personnel, as well as authorized officials of other agencies, both domestic and foreign.” Say WHAAAAA??? What the hell does THAT mean?
And how in the world can any of this be legal?? They can jump inside your computer? Listen to your phone conversations on Skype with no warrant?
If you were considering checking out this program, whatever you do, do NOT log onto this website and check, “I agree” at the “Privacy Act and Security Statement” to continue. Unless you want the government to forever be able to access your computer.
This is insane. Absolutely insane. What has our country become??
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The Privacy and Security Statement and agreement is for car dealers participating in the program, not for general public. It is nonetheless an unwelcome invasion from Big Brother Government…Bush Era BS.
Bush is no longer in D.C. This is an Obamarama program.
Who cares who it’s used for?! The Government is who we’ve elected to represent us, not take control of our lives. No one should be subjected to this. Now dealerships have to be owned by the Government in order to gain business from the cash for clunkers program??? How truly unAmerican our Government is.
But also, clearly, an unsuspecting individual can go to the Web site. If my opinion, based on years of teaching is the public schools, is correct, almost nobody reads any thing that in any way looks like legal mumbo jumbo. They just say “whatever” and click “accept.”
That’s exactly right. Anyone can go to that particular section, and once they hit the “Accept” button, that’s it.
It’s a huge problem REGARDLESS – private citizen or private citizen who owns a dealership – it’s a problem.
Bush era was about attempts at national security.
What the hell is this about???
When do they expect to rename the Capital the Kremlin.
How much do you want to bet that a national health care program would have a similar statement?
Bingo.
This is bizarre. Why would they do this? I already assume that I, like everybody else, would have no real privacy if the US Government decided to target me whatever reason. As for Glenn Beck and all his fellow commentators, I wish there was a federal law requiring them to be hooked up to biomonitoring equipment during their broadcasts so that the viewers would have a better idea of when they were being sincere or play-acting or lying.
I am really more concerned about the little news blurbs that I have seen that Obama’s healthcare bill will allow real-time access to bank accounts. I haven’t seen any details of that claim, so I don’t know what to make of that.
R3A, when I first heard this, I thought, it was an exaggeration. There are no more superlatives to describe this…
If you know how to listen to Glenn Beck (block out his histrionics) you’ll find that he speaks more truth than anyone else in the media. He’s got thousands of his listeners keeping their eyes and ears open for just this sort of danger. If no one else is going to be the watchdog for us (and certainly Congress and the President aren’t doing it…quite the contrary), I can put up with the over the top silliness. There is so much meat in what he reports.
The other side has Chris “Tingle” Matthews to spit at us and on us if we don’t approve of Obama, and he’s losing viewership, as is Olbermann. I note also that Maddow is even beginning to question Obama. Will wonders never cease!
This action is one of the most dangerous, disingenuous, short sighted, anti-democratic ploys I’ve ever seen in America. The person who wrote this needs to be identified, and fast, and then fired, have his citizenship revoked and deported to a country which treats it’s citizens the way he wants to have us treated.
I used to hate Glenn Beck but have found new respect for him. My biggest issue with him is that he uses the term “progressive” to describe communist/fascists when the term now means to me more about being pro-environment, pro-gay rights, etc.
If he stopped bashing the sincere left (i.e., those of us who are simply socially liberal) then he might get more credibility…but he just ends up coming off as a “right wing lunatic” to many who might otherwise agree with his criticisms of things such as appointed czars and abuse of government power.
Historically, the communist/fascists did use the term ‘Progressive’ for themselves. I noticed in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, ‘Progressive’ is used to describe the people who believed in big government. ‘Liberal’ is another word used by the far left who traditionally are not liberal.
The marxist/socialist/communist types are always trying to change the meaning of words to confuse or fool people as to their real agenda.
Obama, Pelosi, et al are perfect examples of saying the opposite of what they intend.
I should also add in an effort to be more clear, I understand that there are many, many people who are sincerely interested in a better world through being smarter in how we treat our environment, but many are being lied to and fooled by those in power now. Obama, Pelosi, and the rest don’t give a hoot about what’s best for everyone, they are only concerned about what they want…as much POWER as they can possibly get. And if they can achieve this goal by claiming to want healthcare for everyone, or a better environment through Cap and Trade, then that is what they will push for.
Interesting….and sure, I do think the Democrats are abusing the sincere beliefs of the “left” however you want to call it…I just think that not all people who call themselves progressive now consider themselves to also be socialists/communists. It seemed to be a word that came into vogue in the 90s because liberal got to be too played out.
Beck is the bravest man on tv and radio to date! Even if you don’t like the man, he is willing to go after what no one else will. You should start looking at his investigation of ACORN, SEIU and HCAN. They are all tied together and all tied to Obama et al. Seriously, I worry about his safety sometimes and also the safety of his family! I heard him talk on the radio a couple of months ago about how he is a target and has people digging through his garbage cans to find dirt on him and I know this man is not just doing this for ratings. Glenn Beck truly loves this country and is a real patriot!
Holy Smokes, Amy! Or should I say, Unholy Smokes? This is beyond the pale. I have real problems with Glenn Beck’s delivery in many instances [it's really hard to ignore the histrionics], but in this case he’s really waving a red flag [unfortunate color] that we need to pay attention to.
Scary stuff. As if the Government isn’t instrusive enough! I’ll have to tell my husband to steer clear of the website. He was considering trading in his own clunker [but hates the idea of a car payment right now].
But I have to tell you this information left me gaping with astonishment.
What the hell were they thinking??? Or smoking?
*sigh*
You really need to realize that Glenn Beck is COMPLETELY FULL OF CRAP. Stop being so gullible.
Copy/Paste that explains this nonsense:
What he neglects to mention, is that this is on the dealer, not consumer site.
The reason he tells listeners to not go to cars.gov is that they won’t find these terms and conditions.
In the video: 1:29 – Top left of screen “dealer support”. Also, the color on the screen is blue. The color for the consumer website is green.
In fact, this disclaimer is only accessible via a dealer registration link. IT IS FOR WHEN DEALERS SECURELY LOG INTO THE C.A.R.S SYSTEM TO CONDUCT TRANSACTIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT.
Even for a dealer to have this happen to them…Not good..
As a business man I would not want that.
Anyone willing to go and check it out
Oh please. These are dealerships working with the government. It’s entirely different from the way Glenn Beck describes it. YOU SHOULD BE PISSED OFF AT GLENN BECK FOR LYING TO YOU.
The outrage here is totally misplaced.
NO they are not working with the government. My girlfriend, who is a rep for an auto finance company, said this program is a disaster for dealerships.
Huge rip-off from Obama’s Thugogracy.
I watched the show and Glenn Beck made it very clear to the viewers that only the dealerships were seeing this agreement statement. Then over the weekend the statement was removed and the White House said they were working on it. I’ll just bet they are.
Irregardless of whom it’s intended for, it’s still unwarrantedly intrusive and smacks of big brotherism. It’s not the way things are supposed to work in America, but it’s so typical of the direction the arrogant little twerp in the White House wants to take this country. Never mind that the vast majority don’t want to go there.
Yes, A-Nony-Mouse, as much as it galls me to admit it, if the cars.gov website has not been altered, you appear to be correct in this instance. Beck does lead the viewer to believe that anyone accessing cars.gov will be in danger, and, as the site now stands, that is not the case. Whether or not dealers should allow themselves to be subjected to this privacy intrusion is another story.
The dealers are working with the government on this program. Should the gov. just trust the dealerships not to screw them over? Think about that. Would you trust a car salesman? I sure as hell wouldn’t.
This issue was completely misrepresented by Glenn Beck in this program.
BTW, my grandfather took part in this cars for clunker program and he’s doing just fine
It worked out great for him. It’s his first new car since 1973!
It doesn’t matter whether it’s dealers or citizens.
It’s clearly illegal.
Get a grip, bud.
Beck DOES say it’s the Dealers’ tab, but ANYONE, as I understand it, can go to that tab. If you were looking at this program, and there was a tab for dealers, wouldn’t you be CURIOUS what was in there? Like maybe you’d want to see what the gov. was telling them? I think a lot of people weighing that option might do it just to see what was there.
Even still, it is a problem in terms of what info is contained on the DEALERS’ computers. Think abt all of the info that is there. People’s personal info. And why would any foreign agency have access to that? Just wondering…
For Pete’s sake, what don’t you understand Amy?
You can’t just ‘wander into’ the dealers section and log in. Do you have a Dealer’s account and freaking password?
Sheesh!
I saw that on Glen Beck’s Program. However I wasn’t going to be the idiot to go check it out if it was true.
I thought about going down to the library and cking it out…LOL Let them attach the library Computer.
Even if this is only happening to dealerships it is still a complete abuse of power and a violation of an American citizen’s Constitutional right of privacy.
Yes, Glenn Beck is over the top on a lot of issues. But I am glad he brought this to the attention of the American people.
Another thing the American people don’t know is that the whole Cash for Clunkers program is an environmental fraud being perpetuated with taxpayer dollars. Take a look at this post, examine the facts and draw your own conclusions.
Sink the USS Clunker. Before it sinks us.
Me, too. Like I said, it doesn’t matter if this happens to private citizens in their own homes – AND IT CAN – but for ANYONE, dealer or not. They can access EVERYTHING on one’s computer. EVERYTHING. Does anyone think that NO ONE except dealers are going to click that one thing? No – people want to know, and if they think they will get more info in a different section, they’ll go there.
Yes, Beck does use some histrionics that unfortunately detract from his message, but he is essentially correct here, and in his review (another video) of what happens to cars that are turned in. NONE of the parts can be used again – like engines, for instance (oowawa mentioned that last night, too). Some people might not be able to afford a new car, but could use some parts from the ones that have been exchanged. But, no…So much for recycling!
The folks that cannot afford these new cars are watching parts for the cars they can afford disappear. Not to mention the salvage yards and used parts stores and repair shops that can no longer fulfill the needs of their customers. If there is no supply for a demand then job loss is surely around the corner. And as my blog post clearly demonstrates there is no real environmental benefit to the program. It’s just another smoke and mirrors Obama con job at taxpayer expense.
I wonder if any of these lunkhead elitists ever even considered the full ramifications of what their program is doing? Of course my question is rhetorical.
Correct me if I’m wrong but this is how I see it:
Isn’t business, employee and customer information stored or processed via the computers used by the dealers to access the CARS website? Does anyone really believe a dealer has a brand new, dedicated computer only used to access CARS? I doubt it. So, when the dealer accepts the terms to access CARS (which he must, he can’t access it without agreement), then by extension he grants permission to the federal government over ANYTHING on that computer. That could include employee and buyer personal information that otherwise would require a subpoena, warrant or other official legal request.
That is what consumers are worried about – the dealerships agreeing to the government using whatever information found on the computer in whatever way they want. It seems there would need to be a release signed allowing the dealership to share any and all information as necessary stating the possible outcomes.
Just think of the information they’ll have if they succeed in computerizing all your medical records in the new Health Bill.
Personal, PRIVATE information.
Well, say I am trading a car in for this program and buying another more fuel efficient car–MY information would be contained in the computer of the car dealership’s computer because they would have to have that information to sell me the car. So, the government would then be privvy to whatever information that I gave the dealership and they could use it for whatever reason they wanted to.
And the healthcare reform bill states that they will have access to your BANK ACCOUNTS.
Holy crap, Karen – that’s pretty frightening.
And you raise a good point abt your info at the dealer, too. Yikes…
Rev. Amy—Thank you for posting this. I’m proud of you for not being afraid to ascribe a good deed to Glenn Beck. It takes an open-minded, intelligent person with chutzpah to do that.
Strange bedfellows, indeed, but hey, these are the times in which we live!
Thanks.
We all keep getting bits and pieces of the healthcare bills. I think we should have a dedicated national web site that has these bits and pieces —like mandated consultation age 65/every 5 years about death and dying and medical care, gov’t access to your bank account—what bill is it in; what page is it on.
The Nocturnal Warrior always jokes about Homeland Security and Janet listening to his show. Seriously everybody, this is a surveillance state that we live in. How many articles have I read describing the abuses of surveillance programs under Bush that were illegal and well beyond the scope intended? There are too many to count. Pervasive Surveillance Continuing Under Obama. New DHS-NSA-AT&T "Cybersecurity" Partnership
There is no such thing as a right to privacy anymore. It is wrong, it was wrong when Cheney-Dubya embraced it and it is wrong when Obama embraces it. The abuses of use of the information grabbed nauseates, that we are only slightly more a free society than China and that it is acceptable to a President and members of Congress who swore to uphold the ideals set forth in the Constitution; I assure you our forefathers would not approve of such intrusion.
George Orwell’s 1984….
Need I say more.
Ok folks, I have my regularly replenished supply of Tin Foil ™ but to be worried about this is silly.
A. It’s for dealers ONLY. You can’t get to that screen to hit Continue unless you’re 1) a dealer and 2) you’ve activated an account.
B. As one who has just made use of this program and saved $7000 to dump off a clunker and get a brand new car, the form the sales guy filled out to get the car to the salvage yard was 1) on paper, and 2) did NOT have my/our info on it. It was only the VIN, and mileage. (and yes, of course with some normal DOT use, you can connect the VIN to us, but that’s NORMAL.)
and moreover,
C. If the government really wants to get to your info, they can get to it anytime they want. They don’t need some stinking web form to get control of your system.
D. The foreign government deal is because of the connections with Canada and Mexico. If someone is scammed this clunkers for cash program, there needs to be legal ways to involve CA/MX govts for their aid.
So, this is typical Glenn Beck showmanship and perhaps someone’s fear that a lot more people might buy some more efficient cars.
Finally, if you wanna see Orwellian, try wrapping your head around how Google keeps track of 1) ALL of your searches and 2) what you visit. So that one private company has more data about you than any government agency will EVER have. Period.
yes. That’s not right for Google to track us either!
I agree.
But they are allowed to do it because they are a business and use it for “marketing” purposes.
Oh, what we allow for the sake of the almighty dollar…
I sold autos for 5 yrs in early 90’s.
I have a good friend who is the finance mgr for the Chevy dealer here. HE is who told me about this yesterday am when I was in the Auto Mall next door getting my Hummer serviced and he showed me on the Chevy company computer. He works long hours, and takes his work home with him. He and his old lady goes to Galveston a lot and he takes his laptop with him to catch up on his work.
(when a clunker is TRADED IN , they do the transaction and all the paperwork with the customer, but they are extremely BUSY and he has to take the trade-ins files home with him to process on the CARS.GOV site)
He was catching up on the cash for clunkers crap and when he logged in with his dealer login is when he saw that scary crap.
DEALER – AMERICAN…. ALL THE DAMN SAME!
NO ONE wants ALL THEIR FILES, PC, ETC to be PROPERTY OF THE US GOVT, to be SHARED WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS, DOMESTIC OR FOREIGN !!!!
He had been discussing it with other F&I guys and even dealers and they are all PISSED about it. most were even turning away the clash for clunkers deals so they wont have to login to that CRAP.
Also, Glenn Beck DID SAY it was on the site for DEALER LOGIN when they click SUBMIT A TRANSACTION!
ALL you IDIOTS who don’t know what you are talking about… just SHUT UP till you have the CORRECT INFORMATION !!!!
Bubba Catts
Shreveport, Louisiana
Glenn Beck is a spokesman dolt like Rush. First of all this agreement is ONLY for the DEALERS WEBSITE!
Even then READ THIS SLOWLY…
When logged on to the CARS system, your computer is considered a Federal computer system and is the property of the United States Government.
gyrfalcon what part of “RECORDED”, “SHARED” “FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS” DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?????
That means ALL their customers INFO, all THEIR personal info, including any & ALL private photos and all their PERSONAL-PERSONAL info from their personal PC-laptops when they are catching up their work at home!!!!!!!!
SURE, it says WHILE LOGGED IN, but it also says WILL BE RECORDED !!!
I D I O T S !!!!!!!!!!
We HAVE to STOP this marxist bastard America, any means necessary !!
Bubba Catts
Shreveport, Louisiana