Privacy on the Roads – Page 3

Wi-Fi Makes Cars Smarter

Posted by Michael Zimmeron October 13, 2005in Mobility

The emergence of Vehicle Safety Communication technology is starting to get more press attention. Here's a story from Red Herring, "Wi-Fi Makes Cars Smarter". The article is right to point out the various "policy and privacy" issues related to DSRC-enabled…

Automatic License Plate Scanners & Wholesale Surveillance

Posted by Michael Zimmeron October 10, 2005in Mobility, Privacy1 Comment

The Boston Transportation Department is engaging in what Bruce Schneier calls "wholesale surveillance" in order to collect unpaid parking tickets. A white SUV equipped with two video cameras on top and a laptop computer running license plate scanning software drives…

Missouri: State Spies on Drivers Through Cell Phones

Posted by Michael Zimmeron October 10, 2005in Mobility, Privacy

The state of Missouri has begun a program to track individual movements on highways through cell phones:The Missouri Department of Transportation will spend $3 million annually on a program to monitor the movements of individuals on highways via their cell…

Tracking Every Move You Make: Can Car Rental Companies Use Technology to Monitor Our Driving?

Posted by Michael Zimmeron September 15, 2005in Mobility, Privacy, Values In Design1 Comment

Anita Ramasastry's recent columns at FindLaw, Tracking Every Move You Make Can Car Rental Companies Use Technology to Monitor Our Driving? discusses the use of GPS as a monitoring technology, particularly in rental cars. From the article:GPS-Plus-Wireless Transmitters: Why the…

Brit License Plates Get Chipped

Posted by Michael Zimmeron August 21, 2005in Mobility, Privacy

WiredNews reports on the growing desire by governments to use RFID tags to help identify (and track?) automobiles on the public roads: The British government is preparing to test new high-tech license plates containing microchips capable of transmitting unique vehicle…

Popular Science on Vehicle Safety Communication Technologies

Posted by Michael Zimmeron August 20, 2005in Mobility, Privacy

Popular Science features an article on "The Future of the Car: Behold the All-Seeing, Self-Parking, Safety-Enforcing, Networked Automobile" where one of the emerging technologies discussed is Vehicle Safety Communication technology:The next giant leap in sensing will be radio networking that…

Papers on Privacy and Vehicle Safety Communication Technologies

Posted by Michael Zimmeron July 15, 2005in Events, Mobility, Privacy, Values In Design

I am on my way to The Netherlands to particpate in two exciting conferences. I will be presenting my paper "Surveillance, Privacy and the Ethics of Vehicle Safety Communication Technologies" [PDF] at the International Conference of Computer Ethics: Philosophical Enquiry.…

Driving Big Brother

Posted by Michael Zimmeron June 22, 2005in Mobility, Privacy

Wired News reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to release new rules for controversial car black boxes this summer: Contrary to expectations, the rules don't require automakers to install the boxes in every car, but they do…

DaimlerChrysler Demonstrates DSRC Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication

Posted by Michael Zimmeron June 8, 2005in Mobility, Privacy

DaimlerChrysler has made the first public demonstration of a DSRC-based vehicle-to-vehicle communication application. From the press release:Cars equipped with DSRC can communicate directly with one another, also making it possible to transmit braking signals back over several vehicles, giving drivers…

Black Boxes Capture Car-crash Data, Controversy

Posted by Michael Zimmeron May 16, 2005in Mobility, Privacy

Warren Webb at EDN.com has posted a nice summary article on the vehicle black box controversy, "Black Boxes Capture Car-crash Data, Controversy": With little fanfare or customer notification, some automobile manufacturers have for years been recording your driving habits. Initially…