From: BillK (bill@wkidston.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: Sat Jun 30 2001 - 11:24:22 MDT
This is shocking news. I was sure that us Brits were the world leaders in
surveillance.
We must not let the land of the free snatch the lead from us. ;-)
We must demand even more surveillance cameras and speeding cameras.
The only consolation we have is that we are already testing a similar
system, but it is linked to the car engine and stops the car from speeding
at all. So we won't pay fines - we just won't be able to speed.
We must not rest until every car in Britain has a GPS speed control computer
fitted. And once this is achieved we can use satellite monitoring to detect
speeding cars which must, by definition, be a criminal, terrorist or insane
person who is a danger to themselves and to the rest of us and their car can
be summarily disabled.
In future, Brit films will be famous for their "slow" car chase scenes where
neither the robbers or the police are able to exceed the area speed limits.
This will give more time for in-car existential conversations about the
causes of crime and the meaning of life as they trundle along at 30 miles
per hour.
BillK
See text of the article below:
http://cnn.com/2001/TECH/ptech/06/22/gps.airiq/index.html
Rental driver finds Big Brother over shoulder
June 22, 2001 Posted: 11:38 AM EDT (1538 GMT)
By Richard Stenger, CNN
(CNN) -- An ordinary trip turned into an Orwellian ordeal for one
Connecticut driver, forced to pay multiple fines after a car rental company
tracked his every move via satellite.
James Turner of New Haven took Acme car rental company to court, calling the
technology too intrusive. Acme countered that Turner knew the risks.
Regardless, the litigation has such an unexpected high-tech spin that the
state attorney general joined the legal fray.
When Turner needed a van to drive from New Haven to Virginia some months ago
for business, he turned to a merchant near his home that he had relied on
many times in the past.
But the theater box office manager overlooked a clause in the contract
stating that its vehicles were equipped with a Global Positioning Satellite
(GPS) system and that going over the speed limit would cost $150 per
infraction. When he returned home and tried to use his ATM card, he
discovered that the rental company had taken out $450 from his account. Acme
Rent-A-Car had determined that he had gone over the speed limit three times
and dipped into his account for each one.
"They took the money out before I returned the car," Turner told CNN this
week. "I was very, very surprised. I was not aware of what GPS could do. I
thought it was an onboard navigation system, to use when you get lost."
High-tech tracking
The van was outfitted with more than standard GPS technology. It had a much
more sophisticated monitoring system, AirIQ, which allowed Acme to check
Turner's speed and location.
Turner hired a lawyer and went to small claims court, but Acme said Turner
was well aware of the contract provisions. "I don't think it was too
intrusive. The warning is printed in big bold letters on top of the
contract, saying any sustained speeds over 79 mph would be subject to
fines," said Max Brunswick, Acme's attorney. "It's not something that's in
the fine print. It's explained to the customer and the customer has to
initial it," he said. Bernadette Keyes, Turner's counsel, countered that
while some Acme customer contracts did include a specific speed limit, the
one her client signed did not.
Making money or tracking cars?
Turner protested that the company had no system of due process by which he
could challenge the charges. Brunswick said that for each infraction, the
satellite system notified Acme only after Turner had gone over 80 mph for at
least two minutes. "The real purpose is not to make money from people
speeding. The real reason is to track cars," Brunswick said. The monitoring
system allows Acme to find cars that are not returned, a persistent problem
that can drive small car rental companies out of business, he said.
Moreover, drivers knowing their speed is being checked tend to drive slower,
leading to less liability for the company and fewer accidents for the
drivers, according to Brunswick. "It's safe to say this policy saves lives,"
he said.
The state has stepped in to help settle the legal morass, leaving the small
claims case in limbo.
"The court is waiting for the consumer protection board and attorney general
to make their ruling," which could come within weeks, Turner said.
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