Look out, bad boys. OnStar has just launched its Stolen Vehicle Slowdown Service, which tracks a vehicle that has been reported stolen, contacts authorities, and, if the vehicle is still being driven when the authorities catch up to it, cuts power to the vehicle so that the cops can nab the bad guy.

OnStar has offered a stolen-vehicle tracking system for years; this service is the latest evolution of the technology. When a vehicle is reported stolen, OnStar can use the vehicle’s GPS to pinpoint its location and report it to the local authorities. When the cops catch up to the stolen car, identify it, and verify that the coast is clear, OnStar sends a message to the car to flick on the four-way flashers (which is not indicated inside the vehicle) and gradually reduce engine power to an idle but retain power to the brakes and steering system so that the confused thief can pull the car over—and presumably try to either find his weapon, hide his stash, or both.

This new technology represents one more cool OnStar application, and we think it will be all sorts of fun to see dash-cam recordings of furious thieves having just been outmaneuvered by OnStar operators working in call centers hundreds of miles away. There are, however, ominous, Orwellian overtones to the idea that all someone can stop your car with a phone call. How long before OnStar’s service-update e-mails start to include traffic infractions from every speed trap you pass?

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