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GPS Maker TomTom Submits Your Speed Data To Police
An anonymous reader writes "The GPS systems in TomTom's Live range all feature built-in 3G data cards, which feed location and route information back to a central server. According to CNET, this data, along with users' speed information, is being made available to local governments and the police."
From the article: "Knowing the cops can see where you're driving and how fast you're going is eye-opening stuff, but TomTom says the data is anonymous and can never be traced back to an individual user or device. Ordinarily, we'd be reassured by this, but we recall Apple saying something similar before the location-tracking excrement hit the phone-carrying fan."
Then it could print out speeding tickets as you go!
Also automatic shock collars for when crimes are committed.
Dear TomTom,
Why would you go and do a stupid thing like this? I loved your products, but I will purchase them no more.
This speed trap is brought to you by TomTom.
The story is that the data was used by Dutch police to determine where to set up speed traps. The data was NOT used to go after any TomTom users for speeding.
It's still a somewhat dastardly tactic, but not quite what people on here are seeing it to be.
This is a substitute for a clever sig that fits within the maximum number of characters.
You only have six points remaining on your license.
Ginga no Rekshiya Mata Each page.
No, not at all. You stop accidents where accidents happen. Speeding does not always mean crashing. Most people are perfectly capable of controlling their vehicle and allowing sufficient space beyond the ridiculously low limits.
If I can just reach out with my words and touch a butthole, just one, it will all be worth it.
Why on earth would you be reassured?
"Anonymous" GPS traces that start and/or end with your home every day are not anonymous. Apple tried that trick - it's an intelligence test for the masses.
Tired of Political Trolls? Opt Out!
No. Those cameras cause accidents. Speeding is not a danger. People noticing the cameras and ramming their brakes on is.
I am an apple apologist, I guess. The reason is that I see the fact that Apple stores your location data on your cell phone when you are using their _location_ services as less serious than TomTom _giving_away_ your data to the authorities on a general basis, with no warrant or anything of the sort. Funny thing is, I don't even have an iPhone myself, and even I think that analogy fails pretty miserably.
I couldn't agree more. Apple simple created a security weakness on your phone and on your own computer, but didn't (as far as anyone has shown) upload this data to anyone.
TomTom has just joined my permanent Do Not Buy list. Their allegations that it can't be tracked ring hollow.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
Isn't that exactly the same thing? If you want to make money, you place cameras where people most often speed. If you want to prevent high-speed accidents... just the same.
No, it isn't. If you want to make money, you place cameras where people most often speed. If you want to prevent high speed accidents, you assign police officers to patrol areas where people drive dangerously. Speed ticket cameras do not cause people to slow down (or at least they take a significant amount of time to do so). The presence of police officers always results in people slowing down. Additionally, areas where the police are frequently visible have significantly slower traffic than areas where the police are rarely seen.
The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
Not the same. For example, a straight non-residential road with an unusually low speed limit will get tons of speeders, but that wouldn't translate to more high-speed accidents. It just means the limit posted is too low relative to similar roads.
If you aren't suspicious of your government's actions, you aren't doing your job as a responsible citizen.
No. Those cameras cause accidents. Speeding is not a danger. People noticing the cameras and ramming their brakes on is.
I have fond memories of the idiot who slammed their brakes on in front of me to haul down to 50mph on seeing a speed camera, even though we were already driving at 70mph in a 70mph speed limit.
Fortunately I drive at a safe distance from the car in front; if I'd been an idiot tailgater I'd have gone straight into the back of them.
Personally, I view this development as a positive for safety on the roads - roads where 10s of thousands die each year where both speed and DUI are major contributors.
Sure, DUIs are unsafe, but speed by itself isn't a killer... {Yes, you said "contributed", I know...}
Speeding inappropriately is what kills people. The Autobahn {and German driving in general} is an example of what we should have here.
Don't tell me to get a life. I'm a gamer; I have LOTS of lives!
Most people are perfectly capable of controlling their vehicle and allowing sufficient space beyond the ridiculously low limits.
Where do you live? MOST places I've driven, the only safe speed would be zero. Really, there are enormous numbers of drivers who have fundamental issues with parking lots, much less the actual roadway.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Speeding never kills. It is the sudden stop... :)
Last night, some 12 hours after the news came out, I received an apologetic mail from them promising this would no longer be allowed plus a voucher for a free update to their data base of known speed traps.
"The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
Red light cameras, when used properly, are great. They do a great job of stopping the idiots who think "just one more" is okay. The problem comes when they are treated as a source of revenue: the camera warning signs get taken down (I've seen this happen in a nearby town) and then the yellow light cycle is shortened to get tickets from people who actually know the light timings. My hometown installed cameras a few years ago, and one very bright member of the city council managed to push a law through which required warning signs within xxx feet of the intersection AND mandated yellow light times according to the speed limit. Their ticket revenue went up and then back down, and the accident rate went down as well.
Likewise, anonymous speed data would be hugely useful to city planners. If people are constantly speeding through an area that has almost no accidents, they could consider raising the speed limit on a trial basis. People who drive 55 in a 45 all the time will usually drive 60 in a 50, so ticket revenue will still be there. Higher speed limits mean being able to move more cars through on the same lanes, rather than having to sink money into additional lanes when a road gets overcrowded.
120 characters for a sig? That's bloody useless.