We covered this on Politech in 2001: http://www.politechbot.com/p-02238.html > 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. -Declan --- http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-insider4apr04,1,1917817.column April 4, 2004 Jane Engle: Travel Insider When you rent a car, does the company secretly track you? Some vehicles are 'bugged' without the driver's knowledge. A California bill would require notification. If you care about your privacy or your pocketbook, ask whether your rental car has electronic tracking equipment and what it's used for. The answers may surprise you — if you can get them. Since I last wrote about this issue in 2002, more rental cars have been fitted with such systems, which can instantly relay information on your car's speed, route and position to the rental company. This is done by wireless devices and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers that pinpoint location. Rental companies say they use the devices mainly to track stolen vehicles. A flurry of lawsuits two years ago accused a Budget Rent a Car licensee in Tucson of using such a system to covertly track renters who took cars out of state and to fine them thousands of dollars. Earlier, another rental company in New Haven, Conn., allegedly tracked renters who drove faster than 79 mph and fined them. [...] _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
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