Posted on 10/14/2011 10:59:32 AM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
Imagine that you couldn't drive on major highways without agreeing to put a camera in your car -- one that could film either the occupants or the vehicle’s surroundings and transmit the images back to a central office for inspection...
It's hard to imagine Americans would tolerate such a direct, Big-Brotherish intrusion. But they might not notice if the all-seeing cameras were tucked inside another kind of government tracking technology that millions of Americans have already invited into their cars.
Kapsch TrafficCom AG, an Austrian company that just signed a 10-year contract to provide in-car transponders such as the E-Z Pass to 22 electronic highway toll collection systems around the U.S., recently filed a patent on technology to add multi-function mini-cameras to their toll gadgets...
The stated reason for an inward-pointing camera is to verify the number of occupants in the car for enforcement of HOV and HOT lanes. The outward-pointing camera could be used for the same purpose, helping authorities enforce minimum occupant rules against drivers who aren't carrying transponders.
That’s what duct tape is for.
I don’t own a GPS, and I’m not gonna buy this thing, either.
BAAAAHHHH!
Nope, easy to imagine when the slowly-boiled-frog technique is utilized. More interesting to imagine, would be bringing to life today a team of John Adams/James Madison/John Jay/Alex Hamilton/Ben Franklin/Sam Adams/etc, to inspect our current political and economic culture... they would be Aghast, at the individual liberty we've given up, and right NOW, let alone what we will give up in the future.
Americans would jump at it in a heartbeat.
once they figured out they could strip you bare electronically at the airport, and there was no push back, all bets were off
I had a camera embedded in the top of my laptop supplied by the company I work for. One day I noticed that the on light next to it was on for no reason.
I immediately stopped picking my nose and put a piece of tape over it. The tape has a tab (I folded one end over itself) and I remove it when I want to use the camera and put it back when I am done.
I never leave a connected camera lense exposed. Including my cell phone’s.
And I bet that some day people with these transponders will, en masse, get citations for speeding because they went between two toll points faster than what could have been done at the posted speed, the fines will start hefty and ratchet up quickly by the mile per hour over, and those complaining will be pointed to some fine print in the user’s agreement. This will happen in some state that finds itself deeply pressed for a giant load of money over a short period of time, so much so they aren’t going to worry about losing present or future transponder customers.
I am surprised that it hasn’t been done already. When I was a kid, I noticed the time was stamped on the PA Turnpike ticket, and thought that they could check your average speed when you got off the turnpike, and determine if you were speeding. Of course, that would have meant more work for the union toll-takers...
China sells camera jammers cheap.
good plan
If this is related to toll devices, they’re talking about the E-Z-PASS transponder stuck on your windshield that lets you pay your tolls automatically without stopping. So once this thing is adopted, the PA Turnpike Commission, for instance, will send me a NEW one, designed to watch ME, as well as others! Bummer. Might be worth it to drop E-Z-PASS and STOP to pay my tolls! But if everyone ELSE has one watching me, what’s the pernt, as Ahchie Bunkah would say?
¨You´ll take it and like it. Now get out of here before I really slap you around.¨
I thought the very same thing when they started E-Z-PASS. Then I realized that doing THAT would merely cause motorists to seek a different route and avoid the toll road, minimizing the much-wanted toll revenue.
No, they must leave the apprehension of speeders to the police and not alienate their customers. When the day comes that the police commandeer the TIME data from E-Z-PASS activity, that’s the day the transponders will be thrown back at them and/or ALTERNATE routes will be used by savvy drivers!
I have a work supplied laptop with the camera too - I immediately put black electrical tape on it (color coordinated!)
A Dell tech worked on it in house - he took the tape off the lense - I grabbed another piece and stuck it back on when he was done.
GOOD IDEA.
How about a dab of Testor’s paint?
Or chewing gum too.
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