Wiredreports that 100 drivers in Austin, Texas woke up to find their cars either disabled or honking out of control. The vehicles had been disabled by a former Texas Auto Center employee who had been laid off. The former employee got revenge by using the dealership's remote immobilization system to disable cars the dealership had sold.
The dealership used a system called Webtech Plus as an alternative to repossessing vehicles that haven't been paid for. Operated by Cleveland-based Pay Technologies, the system lets car dealers install a small black box under vehicle dashboards that responds to commands issued through a central website, and relayed over a wireless pager network. The dealer can disable a car's ignition system, or trigger the horn to begin honking, as a reminder that a payment is due. The system will not stop a running vehicle.
The drivers who had their cars disabled must have been very annoyed. The incident reveals a problematic side to this type of technology.
