From the Article: "The program charts drivers' relative speed by
measuring the time between the intermittent signals cell phones send to towers along a stretch of road. Then, that information - stripped of the personal identification and serial numbers that identify the cell phone's owner - is overlaid with highway maps to determine where the phones are and how fast they are moving."
This says ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about issuing speeding tickets. I assume that this is to add functionality to the KCScout system. The call for hoax on the original email stands. Though this has the POTENTIAL to do the speeding ticket thing, there is no proof that this is what it is intended for and there are still many major hurdles to overcome.
-----Original Message----- From: Jeremy Turner Sent: Monday, January 30, 2006 10:41 AM
I can't find a date of Feb 1, but it has been approved:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/13314831.htm http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/01/159241
From what I read, it is more for aggregate data, traffic conditions,
etc. Although they could probably start tracking individual users if they wanted to. If this became more common place and people heard about it, you'd have some upset users.
I've heard that OnStar can't pass on speed info to authorities. Although, they could probably be strong-armed.
Jeremy
I doubt this service works with cdma carriers like Sprint and Verizon Wireless.
Kelsay, Brian - Kansas City, MO wrote:
From the Article: "The program charts drivers' relative speed by
measuring the time between the intermittent signals cell phones send to towers along a stretch of road. Then, that information - stripped of the personal identification and serial numbers that identify the cell phone's owner - is overlaid with highway maps to determine where the phones are and how fast they are moving."
This says ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about issuing speeding tickets. I assume that this is to add functionality to the KCScout system. The call for hoax on the original email stands. Though this has the POTENTIAL to do the speeding ticket thing, there is no proof that this is what it is intended for and there are still many major hurdles to overcome.
-----Original Message----- From: Jeremy Turner Sent: Monday, January 30, 2006 10:41 AM
I can't find a date of Feb 1, but it has been approved:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/13314831.htm http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/01/159241
From what I read, it is more for aggregate data, traffic conditions,
etc. Although they could probably start tracking individual users if they wanted to. If this became more common place and people heard about it, you'd have some upset users.
I've heard that OnStar can't pass on speed info to authorities. Although, they could probably be strong-armed.
Jeremy
Kclug mailing list Kclug@kclug.org http://kclug.org/mailman/listinfo/kclug
--- "Kelsay, Brian - Kansas City, MO" wrote:
From the Article: "The program charts drivers' relative speed by measuring the time between the intermittent signals cell phones send to towers along a stretch of road. Then, that information - stripped of the personal identification and serial numbers that identify the cell phone's owner - is overlaid with highway maps to determine where the phones are and how fast they are moving."
This says ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about issuing speeding tickets. I assume that this is to add functionality to the KCScout system. The call for hoax on the original email stands. Though this has the POTENTIAL to do the speeding ticket thing ...
I'd love to see them try to prove this one in a court of law.
Prosecutor: According to the cell phone records this person was travelling westbound on I435 at 75 mph on Janaury 30th of this year.
Defendent: But your honor, I don't have a driver's license!
Prosecutor: Your honor we'd like to add the charge of driving without a license.
Defendent: Your Honor, I'm blind and can't drive!
Prosecutor: Your Honor, clearly this man must have been driving, we've got his cell phone records!
Judge: What was the type of vehicle the defendant was in?
Prosecutor: We don't know.
Judge: Where there any other person's in the vehicle?
Prosecutor: We don't know.
Judge: Do you have any eyewitnesses that he was driving?
Prosecutor: We don't know.
Judge: Case dismissed for lack of evidence.
Moral of this story, you can't prove a person was driving a vehicle simply because you are tracking a signal. However, the mere fact of tracking persons by use of a tracking device without a court order smacks of 1984 and one would hope is also a violation of constituional rights. But since our current government doesn't seem to care about constitional rights anymore, I doubt this law could be overturned. Not that we shouldn't try. But that is a topic for the KCLUG-PAC user group. ;')
Brian JD
On 1/30/06, Jack quiet_celt@yahoo.com wrote:
Judge: Case dismissed for lack of evidence.
Moral of this story, you can't prove a person was driving a vehicle simply because you are tracking a signal.
Furthermore, according to the radio interview I heard with a MoDoT spokesman, it's not tracking GPS, but what cell the phone is in. As your phone moves from cell to cell, it is presumed to be physically moving. However, the relationship between the two is not linear. The presence of various minerals in the earth or buildings between the phone and the cell towers, topography, sunspot activity, and probably even the phase of the moon will affect which tower gives a specific phone the best signal from moment to moment.
If any government ever tries to use this for traffic law enforcement, it may be necessary for someone like EFF to send lawyers out to fight a couple of cases and set a precedent. And I only say that because of the reflexive presumption that police are correct in Marsupial Court.
On 1/30/06, Jack quiet_celt@yahoo.com wrote:
--- "Kelsay, Brian - Kansas City, MO" wrote:
However, the mere fact of tracking persons by use of a tracking device without a court order smacks of 1984 and one would hope is also a violation of constituional rights.
It's never too late to re-read 1984 by George Orwell! http://cronos.advenge.com/pc/Orwell/1984/TOC.html
-
David Nicol -
Jack -
Kelsay, Brian - Kansas City, MO -
Monty J. Harder -
Paul Taylor