Is the Government Tracking Your Cell Phone?

1:43 am on October 17, 2005 | Category: Cell Phones, Mobile Devices, Wireless, Wireless Technology

The Missouri Transportation Department is finalizing plans to make use of cell phones in monitoring real-time traffic congestion on that state’s 5,500 miles of major roads.

The new system will work by tracking the distance between mobile phones and cellular towers, and thus determining the speed at which the phones are moving. If they are moving quickly, then traffic conditions are likely good, while no movement suggests gridlock conditions. In the event of major traffic problems, warnings can be issued to drivers.

State officials claim that there is no hidden “big brother” agenda behind this project, and that the individual data of specific people will not be tracked. Privacy advocates, however, are hesitant to applaud the new technology.

Privacy law professor, Daniel Solove calls the idea “ominous,” saying that even with anonymity, it shows a general trend towards using technology to track peoples’ movements.

While using cell phones to track traffic conditions is a very innovative idea, it is easy to see how much potential there is for abuse. It’s certainly not a decision to be taken lightly.

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    1. [...] Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, and Missouri have all expressed interest in the new technology, which could be used to help drivers pinpoint and avoid, major traffic jams and holdups. Such technology has been created and tested by companies such as AirSage and IntelliOne Technologies, both of which are based in Atlanta. [...]

      Pingback by Cell Phone Signals to Ease Traffic Congestion » Telecommunications Industry News — November 13, 2005 #

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