FC: Autoprivacy: Texas monitors drivers, red light cams, rental cars

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Sun Jul 08 2001 - 22:38:28 PDT

  • Next message: Declan McCullagh: "FC: "Nobody should just be able to use a computer anonymously""

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    Photo surveillance for survey draws fire
    Jul. 8, 2001 05:20 ET
    http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/962435
    
    [...]
    The American Civil Liberties Union is questioning the use of the cameras to 
    record license plate numbers of motorists for the survey. "It's just one 
    day. We set up cameras, then take them away," said Deborah Graham, state 
    director of traffic planning. "We look at the tape and transcribe vehicle 
    registration information." The car's owner is mailed a questionnaire 
    designed to find out the purpose of the trip -- family reasons, shopping or 
    work, for example.
    [...]
    
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    Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2001 23:14:56 -0400
    To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private>
    From: Monty Solomon <montyat_private>
    Subject: GPS: Gotta Pay for Speeding
    
    GPS: Gotta Pay for Speeding
    
    James Turner is taking Big Brother to small claims court.
    Turner's taking his own car. Big Brother's driving a rental.
    
    A rental outfitted with a high-tech device that tracks your every
    move. One that records your speed. One that enables rental car agents
    to rip off unsuspecting drivers.
    
    Turner's really suing Acme Rent-A-Car on Whalley Avenue in New Haven
    for cozying up with Big Brother. He's trying to recoup a $450 charge
    for allegedly speeding on his way to Virginia in an Acme minivan. The
    van was equipped with a Global Positioning System, or GPS, which
    transmits data via satellite. It clocked him "going at speeds in
    excess of 90 mph on three separate occasions," according to court
    papers. The internal device did, but the cops didn't.
    
    http://www.newmassmedia.com/nac.phtml?code=new&db=nac_fea&ref=16435
    
    
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    From: Sonia Arrison <sarrisonat_private>
    To: "'declanat_private'" <declanat_private>
    Subject: Never rent with Acme rental cars!
    Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 14:50:46 -0700
    
    They used a GPS to track a user's speed and then fine them according to the
    contract.  Yikes!
    -Sonia
    
    http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-07-03-car-tracking.htm
    
    07/03/2001 - Updated 10:39 AM ET
    
    GPS system used to fine driver for speeding
    
    HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The state Department of Consumer Protection is
    investigating a complaint against a rental car company that used satellite
    technology to track a New Haven customer's alleged speeding.
    James Turner complained about Acme Rent-A-Car of New Haven for using his
    rented minivan's global positioning system to clock his speed.
    
    [...]
    
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    From: "GG" <mysticat_private>
    To: "Declan McCullagh" <declanat_private>
    Cc: "Sean Hannity" <Hannityat_private>,
             "G. Gordon Liddy" <gordonliddyat_private>,
             "Clark Sanders" <csandersat_private>,
             "Bill O'Rielly" <oreillyat_private>
    Subject: Motorists race to court to challenge red-light cameras
    Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001 19:45:40 -0500
    
    Photos called privacy threat
    By Valerie Alvord
    Special to USA TODAY
    
    
    SAN DIEGO -- The camera doesn't lie, or so they say. But attorney Arthur
    Tait and more than 300 clients have gone to court to prove that, at least in
    California, cameras can lie.
    
    Their cases are drawing attention to law enforcement's war against drivers
    who run red lights.
    
    Every day, cameras catch thousands of people in 60 jurisdictions across the
    USA as they speed through red lights. In San Diego alone, more than 60,000
    traffic tickets are issued each year from the cameras at 19 intersections.
    
    Studies consistently show wide public support across the USA for camera
    enforcement at intersections. Running traffic lights, police point out, is
    extremely dangerous. Lockheed Martin IMS owns and operates 80% of red-light
    cameras across the country. And there's a waiting list of communities asking
    for cameras to be installed because demand for them is high.
    
    [...]
    
    http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010706/3462035s.htm
    
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    From: rmsat_private (Richard M. Smith)
    To: "'Declan McCullagh'" <declanat_private>
    Cc: <Richard.Diamondat_private>
    Subject: RE: Lockheed gets $70 for each red light ticket in San Diego
    Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2001 13:31:12 -0400
    
    Hi,
    
    A few more data points about this story.
    
    First off, the Washington, DC police department
    seems to have cut a much better deal with Lockheed
    than San Diego.  Lockheed only gets $30 per
    red-light ticket in DC vs. $70 in San Diego.
    
    The DC number came from this editorial:
    
        Red-light cameras ripe for misuse
        http://www.reporternews.com/2000/opinion/red0616.html
    
    Second, the DC red-light camera system received
    a public-private partnership award in 2000 according
    to this Lockheed press release:
    
        District's Photo Enforcement Program Receives
        National Public-Private Partnership Award Lockheed
        Martin IMS honored for dramatically reducing red-light running.
    
        http://www.lmims.com/news/10_26_00.html
    
    Finally, Lockheed seems to be playing fast and loose
    with some of their statistics:
    
        http://www.lmims.com/prodserv/ms.html
    
        Photo Enforcement
    
        "Motor vehicle accidents caused by drivers who
        run red lights, speed or race the train kill tens
        of thousands of American motorists each year"
    
    Obviously running a red light or train crossing is
    a serious safety problem, but the insurance industry puts the
    death rate below a 1,000 people per year according
    to other press accounts.
    
    Richard
    
    *********
    
    Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2001 16:03:32 -0700
    To: declanat_private, politechat_private
    From: David Honig <honigat_private>
    Subject: Re: FC: Lockheed gets $70 for each red light ticket in San
       Diego
    Cc: rmsat_private, Richard.Diamondat_private
    In-Reply-To: <5.0.2.1.0.20010707121636.02177980at_private>
    Mime-Version: 1.0
    Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
    X-UIDL: fb4eb73e613bd3a037b6820b6abdf20d
    
    At 12:25 PM 7/7/01 -0400, Declan McCullagh wrote:
     >More coverage:
     >Subject: Lockheed gets a piece of the action with the San Diego red-light
     >cameras
     >
     >City governments hire private firms all of the time
     >to help provide city services.  However, the idea of
     >that a private company gets a percentage of traffic fines
     >seems quite wrong headed to me.
     >
     >   "Lockheed gets $70 for every $271 fine generated by a red-light
     >   ticket in San Diego, according to testimony yesterday."
     >
    
    (*Not* personally in their defense)
    The Lockheeds etc. that provide these systems do so for *free* to the
    cities in return for a fraction of the *take*.
    
    Although a fantastic biz model, it *does* bias the motivations the wrong way.
    Piece of the action, indeed.
    
    *********
    
    
    
    
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