E-Tracking May Change the Way You Drive

frdmfghtr writes "ZDNet.com is running a story about a runaway idea of a tracking automobiles via GPS. Not to be confused with the Canadian project geared towards anti-speeding ideas, this one does in fact have the goal of tracking your vehicle. 'The U.S. Department of Transportation has been handing millions of dollars to state governments for GPS-tracking pilot projects designed to track vehicles wherever they go. So far, Washington state and Oregon have received fat federal checks to figure out how to levy these 'mileage-based road user fees.' However, the article goes on to talk about how there is no provision in place to prevent the uncontrolled surveillance of motorists without a court order."

Comments

User fees are the way to go

[ReformedExCon]

Why shouldn't those who use a public facility more be also forced to pay more?

It seems pretty straightforward to me.

Just get OVER it already

[BigLug]

I don't drive where I'm not supposed to.
I don't drive over the speed limit (well, not much :)).
I use the roads, but not all of them.
I hate congested traffic.

I can't see that the negatives possibly outweigh the positives. Steal my car and the police and I will just watch where you're going and intercept you. Hacker-turned-car-thief turns it off? You'll get pulled over by the police for not properly identifying your vehicle (just like a rego plate).

My wife has only just got her licence. Imagine if when she's later home than she was going to be if I could just check her car position and realise that she's caught in traffic without having to make her answer her cell phone while driving!

I phone the automobile club because I've broken down and they KNOW where I am because they have my rego.

There's invasion of privacy, and there's useful technology ... PLEASE learn to spot the difference.

Refresh me

[Council]

I work on cryptography and information theory, I read Bruce Schneier, I have secure passwords and am suspicious of everything. I dabble in paranoia, read things like Free Culture and 2600, and am generally anti-The-Man.

That said, sometimes I can't really remember why I care if someone is gathering information on me. Sure, if a company or government monitors my browsing habits or watches where I drive, they can make ads targeted or develop a psychological profile, but what's the real downside? Why should I care if they know what I buy or where I drive? Sure, if I were running for office, it might help with a smear campaign, but other than that, what does it matter? And that's really the only example that comes to mind sometimes, Hoover threatening to release tapes of MLK having sex. But at that point, they're focusing on you as a public figure and breaking the law to gather particularly embarrassing information. For other stuff for the average Joe, what's the problem?

I'm sure everyone has examples. Remind me why I care if they're gathering databases on where we drive or what we do or who we are.

Seriously, remind me why I need privacy. I forget sometimes.