‘Black box’ for cars a surprise – The Washington Times: Nation/Politics
[ . . . . ] the devices are finding [their] way into courtrooms as evidence in criminal and civil cases, leading some privacy advocates to question how the recorders came to be installed so widely with so little public notice or debate.
“It’s like having a government agent driving around in the back seat of your car,” said Bob Weiner, Miss Zimmermann’s defense attorney and a former prosecutor. “I think it’s a tremendous invasion of privacy.”
Most people apparently don’t even know whether the vehicles they drive are equipped with event data recorders. Nearly two-thirds of people surveyed by an insurance industry group knew nothing about them.
“The real issue is one of notice, and the problem arises from the fact that information is being collected about people’s driving behavior without them knowing,” said David Sobel, general counsel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a District-based public research center that focuses on civil liberties issues. “If drivers knew about the device, they could at least then begin asking questions.”
I have wondered about transponders in cars, to used as data gathering tools on freeways to gauge volumes and average speeds, but a data recorder that the consumer isn’t even aware of and that can be used against them in court is another matter. I’m OK with collecting information in the aggregate but collecting data on individuals (perhaps even remotely: imagine a highway data collection system that could gather data as you drive by it, tying it to your car tag and VIN. From there, it seems a small step to being able to govern your speed remotely: cut a speeder down in his tracks.) is instrusive. I have a 1995 and a 1998 car: I suppose they’re both full of stories about my driving.