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Dealer-Installed GPS Tracker Leads To Kidnapper's Arrest in Maryland
New submitter FarnsworthG writes A news story about the capture of a kidnapper mentioned that he was caught because a car dealer had secretly installed a GPS device on his car. Apparently this is becoming common for "buy-here-pay-here" dealers. The devices are sold by Spireon, among many others. Raises interesting privacy questions. FarnsworthG also points to this Jalopnik article condemning the practice, when it's done without disclosure. The kidnapping itself, of Philadelphia nursing assistant Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, was captured by a surveillance camera.
And if we allowed the police to search our homes, cars, and persons on a daily basis, a whole lot more criminals would be caught. I'm glad a scumbag was caught before something worse happened, but let's not pretend that one positive outcome justifies personal tracking, stops-and-frisks, and other countless increases in violations of unreasonable search and seizure in our society.
Disclosure takes it out of the shade IMHO.
Just think of all of the crimes we can prevent or solve, if we place the entire American population in prison camps, with 24/7 monitoring, restricted movement, restricted access to information, and public displays of punitive punishment.
Why is this not being done? Won't someone please think of the children?
North Korea has show the world the way to the future, with our increasing plutocratic societies in the west with decreasing human rights.
Informative? Seriously? It's not just "the left" that is concerned with privacy, and desiring privacy has nothing to do with wanting criminals to escape.
The left is not concerned with privacy. Neither are the neocons. I just want my due process rights, privacy, and money back, thanks. Any such devices like this would be removed from any car I buy, law be damned. I don't care. I will not be treated like cattle.
They only need a warrant for searches a hypothetical "reasonable man" would describe as "unreasonable," and reasonable men tend to frown on dragging chicks around by their hair.
You are, by the 4th amendment, to be COMPLETELY free of unreasonable searches. Any searches must be deemed reasonable through the issuance of a warrant for the search, by a judge.
That being said, if a cop comes to you and goes 'Dude, I need the location of X's car, he just kidnapped a woman, here's the footage', there's nothing stopping the dealer from handing the information over voluntarily without requiring a warrant.
I don't read AC A human right
...Any such devices like this would be removed from any car I buy...
Agreed! But the key work here is 'buy' - the implication being you buy it outright, and are the owner.
On the other hand, if you are financing through the dealer, the RO (registered owner) is the dealer, not you.
Not quite true. The seller has a lean on the vehicle but you are the owner. If the dealer was still the legal one that could open them up for liability in the event of an accident, etc.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
TFA said the car belonged to his girlfriend
That doesn't matter. The purchaser agreed to have the GPS in the car.