Plow Operators Object to GPS Tracking System

An anonymous reader writes "The Boston Globe is reporting on a dispute between private plowing contractors and the state highway department. The state has mandated all trucks to equip with GPS enabled cellphones for tracking. The drivers have refused, just in time for a big winter storm. The latest seems to be that they have reached a compromise (no details yet), but the dispute highlights the public safety versus employee privacy issue. Presumably plowing could be more efficient and possibly save lives during storms if the trucks could be tracked.. a good thing. Or is this simply a step closer to an Orwellian society, where the State knows where we all are?" This earlier story does a much better job of detailing their grievances - apparently it's about money as much as anything, with the GPS tracking system being only a secondary issue.

Comments

Re:What privacy concerns?

[afidel]

You sound like the stupid British.

"If you have nothing to hide why should you mind constantly being monitored by big brother?"

Because us American's have a natural and benificial mistrust of big business and big government! I don't care that the probability of missuse is low I care that it is non-zero. Hell look at EZ-Pass, until they figured out that it would basically stillbirth the system and cost more in employee time and money, they wanted to automate tickets for people who went between tollbooths impossibly fast for the speedlimit. Basically the government should have to show a compelling need to implement things that could very easily invade peoples privacy, if the need isn't sufficient then the government should go jump in a lake.