Back in the day, during the original Browser Wars, when the US Department Of Justice was trying to force Microsoft to detach Internet Explorer from Windows, Microsoft argued that it was impossible for Windows to operate without IE baked in. Well, it took a couple of "hackers" about a day to prove them wrong. I ran Windows XP without IE for years just fine. So yeah, cars can run without the app.

The data is collected even if you don't use the app or hit agree. The manufacturer has your personal info attached to the car from the warranty info. They're required to collect it so they can send you recall notices.

It's trivial to put a car in limp mode if the vehicle computers don't detect all the modules the manufacturer put there. It's slightly less trivial to detect missing antennas, but that tends to disable other features people enjoy like directions and data. Manufacturers simply don't care to cat-and-mouse this right now.

And I'm skeptical that it is. Happy Friday.