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Police and Lawyers Love E-ZPass
John_Schmidt writes "The AP is reporting that police are using EZ-Pass records to solve crimes. Lawyers are also getting the records to use in divorce cases. The article also mentions that the NYS Thruway has sensors to read the cards along the highway (not just at toll booths) but says the data is scrambled and not stored."
The EZ-Pass transponder comes with an anti-static bag which blocks transmission of signals to the device, in case you may wish to pay the toll by other means. The EZ-Pass instructions implore you to keep the bag in your glove compartment at all times.
Don't forget that other tracking device that we all carry, cell phones. It's constantly transmitting while powered on. Right now, the phone company only logs your location by cell site, a radius of many miles. Police could still find someone by triangulating their signal with specialized (meaning expensive) equipment, but E911 changes all that. They'll be required to pinpoint the location of any caller by 50-100 meters.
In Houston, Texas, the highway department has placed transponders all over the highway system... not just on the tollways, but on the freeways as well. This data is used to create very cool real-time maps of traffic conditions.
Since the transponders are compatible with other Amtech/TransCore systems, even vehicles from Oklahoma, Dallas, and other cities help keep the map up to date. In fact, the Dallas and Houston tollway systems are now interconnected -- the same tag will let you cruise through both systems.
Of course, the privacy implications of this convenience have been obvious from the beginning. If you have the need or desire for true anonymity, though, you're not in the market for a (non-disposable) cell phone or a TollTag anyway.
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
First off, in your scenario you are suggesting that the IRS will audit you and find out you are cheating on your taxes. That's illegal, and whatever happens to you or whoever else doing something illegal that gets caught by this will get no sympathy from anybody.
With that said, I don't see how establishing a pattern that you went over the tappan zee every day as to show how much money are you actually bringing in. If you claiming you are only making $24k a year, when you live in a $300k house and drive your $30k truck over the Tappan Zee every day, there are a multitude of ways to figure it out.
A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over. -Benjamin Franklin
This is simply incorrect. First of all, black box recorders for cars are still experimental. They are not sold in any new cars today (unless you read something in the latest Autoweek, which has not made its way to my door yet).
The only vehicles that have a GPS which sends a signal when the airbad is deployed are cars equipped with OnStar (on GM cars, Mercedes Benz uses a different system run by a company in Texas whose name I cannot remember right now). This is an optional pay service -- you don't have it unless you pay for the service.
Every car sold today in the US it required to have airbags. They are not, however, required to have a GPS device or an onstar-type system. Car manufactureres are extremely cost-sensitive. They don't just drop $300 systems into cars without telling anyone about it (there are a few exceptions, but this is not one of them). I'm not sure where you're getting your information on this one, but it is simply untrue.
-Turkey
Actually, it wasn't voluntary and they use a penalty clause in their contract to increase revenue. They charge the renters credit card an added 'insurance fee' that increases per mph over limit. (I'll have to search the NPR archives to find it. I'm pretty sure it was a Morning Edition item.)
The potato it is uninformed.
Don't do anything wrong. Then you won't have to worry about the police tracking you.
That's remarkably naive. If politicians stopped making everything I'm currently doing illegal in a vain attempt to be seen to be doing something, or if police weren't so blindly zealous in their enforcement of laws that the public they are their to serve and protect doesn't want, then *maybe* I would have less to worry about. As it is however, if I change nothing in my behaviour, I'm fairly certain I would be arrested within 5 years - despite not breaking the laws of today.
It's the old story... make everyone a criminal, then you can detain anyone you want.
Forget thrust, drag, lift and weight. Airplanes fly because of money.
You seem so sure of your info, and yet a quick Google for 'automotive "black boxes"' show that you are the one who is incorrect. In fact, not only are the black-boxes already deployed, they have already been used against people in court. They are not yet required by law, but they are out there and in growing numbers.
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http://privacynotes.com/EDR_Automotive/
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/automotive/2029
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/front/3
http://www.seniormag.com/headlines/blackboxcars
"Gold still represents the ultimate form of payment in the world." - Alan Greenspan, 1999
Not sure if the private sector is forced to take cash, I know for a fact that the government does not have to take cash.
Many government services require a moneyorder or certified check, such as the Penna vehicle sales tax. The application states not to send cash, and they discourage the use of personal checks with warnings of delays in service till the check clears.
There is a law or IRS regulation requiring IRS notification of any cash purchase of $10,000 or more. I remember seeing the notice hanging in the local Radio Shack back in the early 90's
Can you pay the IRS with coins?
Been tried, and it doesn't work.
The government makes the laws, those laws can be written to favor them. Many laws already are written that way:
The Government states that you owe taxes, You have to furnish proof that you do not. If you owe back taxes, along with taxes and possible penalties, you also have to pay interest.
If you prove that the Government owes you, they do not have to pay interest, nor are they penalized for holding on to your money. Why is this so? Because they wrote the rules to favor those in power, while trying to limit fraud and abuse of the system.
The Government that prints the statement of legal tender on the bills can choose to stop printing that statement. They stopped giving the bearer of silver certificates the equivalant value of sterling silver in the 60's, what makes you certain that they will honor cash in the future?
Just doesn't work that way. First, the OnStar GPS tracks position only - there is no geographic data until the coordinates are uploaded to Onstar's service center. And, the car doesn't have some sort of telemetry system that's constantly broadcasting information - the connection is through the AMPS cellular network, which is god-awful expensive to use and takes around 10 seconds just to send through the coordinates.
With the purchase of a Caddy, you get the premium service for free for the first year (other cars get basic service). So, if you touch the blue button, you'll get a rep, and they'll likely offer to help. But you need a tinfoil hat if you think that someone's constantly watching you drive around to see if you're lost.
The E-Z Pass comes with a mylar/metallic bag (looks like a typical anti-static bag) in which you can place the unit if you don't want it to be detected (e.g., if you elect to pay cash at the toll booth you won't be charged on your EZ Pass account). That's why I just place it on the dash when I go through a toll, then I put it away.
Research shows that 67% of those who use the term "research shows", are just making shit up.
"most recorders store only limited information on speed, seat-belt use, physical forces, brakes and other factors."
"gives critical data about speed, breaking and seat belt use."
"Generally, all newer cars with air bags are equipped with modules that determine when the bags are deployed."
and, the piece de resistance, from your last link:
Gosh, no GPS. Funny thing. Ya don't suppose those boxes might NOT have been meant for Keeping The Man On Top(TM)?
Gosh, it's unthinkable. Quick, put the tinfoil hat back on. They's a-coming.
The opinions stated herein do not necessarily represent those of anybody at all. Deal with it.
Actually I work for an Independent Insurance Agency and none of the carriers we work with (there are dozens) are talking about (or even have this on the drawing board) doing anything like this.
There was some talk sometime ago about some of the carriers looking to use GPS to verify garaging information -- i.e: Why do we have your garaging address as Syracuse when your car has spent the last 45 days in New York City where the rate of accidents and thefts are ten times higher?
But this hasn't happened yet (the carriers have no way to actually get this GPS information -- even if your car comes with the Black Box, which most of them don't) and it's hardly the road to a police state. We call lying about the garaging address "fraud" -- if you do this and get into an accident and they find out about it two things will happen: 1) They won't pay your claim (better hope you don't get sued) | 2) They will likely refer it to the authorities for prosecution as Insurance Fraud.
Also, your comment about the discounts isn't completely accurate (at least in my state -- admittedly I don't know anything about Insurance law outside of NY and our laws tend to be on the more liberal side). You can get discounts for defensive driving, having etched window glass (with your VIN), paying the policy in full (vs installments). You can also get surcharges for convictions or previous claim activity (we lump it all into the generic term 'incident'), having a poor credit score (if your carrier uses them -- not all do), or being an inexperienced operator (defined as less then three years licensed -- at least in NY).
If your auto insurance is starting with a really high rate and then being discounted down you are probably with a non-preferred carrier like Progressive. You need to find an Independent Agent who will write you with a preferred carrier -- if you don't qualify then chances are you are either young (in which case you are SOL) or have nobody to blame but yourself (excessive number of incidents).
In any case I think it will be quite awhile before we see any Insurance Carriers mandating GPS usage. Before they could do this they would have to clear it with the state insurance authorities -- in my state I doubt it would ever happen. As it stands right now it would be illegal for them to do this in my state -- surcharging you for speeding implies that you were convicted of speeding in a Court of Law after having had a chance to defend yourself. And even if you are convicted of speeding oftentimes they won't pick up on it -- not all carriers spend the money to run MVRs on you every time your policy comes up for renewal. We've had insureds get DWIs and not have the carriers find out about it.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.