Article: State Spies on Drivers Through Cell Phones

VanMan69 · 10-27-2005, 03:59 PM

Missouri: State Spies on Drivers Through Cell Phones
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/06/696.asp
The state of Missouri has begun a program to track individual movements on highways through cell phones.

Delcan control roomThe Missouri Department of Transportation will spend $3 million annually on a program to monitor the movements of individuals on highways via their cell phones -- without their knowledge or consent.

Delcan NET, a Canadian company, developed the system which triangulates the location of each driver by monitoring the signal sent from the cell phone as it is handed off from one cell tower to the next. Each phone is uniquely identified and the information is compared with a highway map to record on what road each motorist is traveling at any given time. The system also records the speed of each vehicle, opening up another potential ticketing technology.

Missouri rejected the simpler solution used by other states of embedding sensors in the pavement that record how many vehicles pass over a stretch of pavement without uniquely identifying them. Missouri wanted a program that required less equipment.

"The traffic community has been really excited for quite some time about the possibility of being able to use cell phones to track vehicles," Valerie Briggs, program manager for transportation operations at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials told the Associated Press. "Almost everyone has a cell phone, so you have a lot of potential data points, and you can track data almost anywhere on the whole (road) system."

A pilot program in Baltimore only tracks Cingular cell phones on 1,000 miles of road. AirSage Inc. has contracted with Sprint to spy on motorists in Norfolk, Virginia and Atlanta and Macon, Georgia.

Shaar · 10-27-2005, 04:07 PM

well this sucks. Good ol' Missouri

Wiredwrx · 10-27-2005, 04:27 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by VanMan69

Missouri: State Spies on Drivers Through Cell Phones
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/06/696.asp
The state of Missouri has begun a program to track individual movements on highways through cell phones.

Delcan control roomThe Missouri Department of Transportation will spend $3 million annually on a program to monitor the movements of individuals on highways via their cell phones -- without their knowledge or consent.

Delcan NET, a Canadian company, developed the system which triangulates the location of each driver by monitoring the signal sent from the cell phone as it is handed off from one cell tower to the next. Each phone is uniquely identified and the information is compared with a highway map to record on what road each motorist is traveling at any given time. The system also records the speed of each vehicle, opening up another potential ticketing technology.

Missouri rejected the simpler solution used by other states of embedding sensors in the pavement that record how many vehicles pass over a stretch of pavement without uniquely identifying them. Missouri wanted a program that required less equipment.

"The traffic community has been really excited for quite some time about the possibility of being able to use cell phones to track vehicles," Valerie Briggs, program manager for transportation operations at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials told the Associated Press. "Almost everyone has a cell phone, so you have a lot of potential data points, and you can track data almost anywhere on the whole (road) system."

A pilot program in Baltimore only tracks Cingular cell phones on 1,000 miles of road. AirSage Inc. has contracted with Sprint to spy on motorists in Norfolk, Virginia and Atlanta and Macon, Georgia.

Read the real article, not the "authors" biased opinion. There is a link, at the link above.

They are not using it to catch speeders, or measure the speed of vehicles. I am bothered by the use of cellphones of unwitting participants, but there may be no recourse. I have to think about the legal implications, but am too busy right now.

Michael

kevinlekiller · 10-27-2005, 05:02 PM

Hope they dont do that everywhere

Awol][ · 10-28-2005, 09:13 AM

Don't want to be tracked turn off your cell phone.

Jaimz · 10-28-2005, 10:57 AM

just turn it off when your gonna be speeding

it's not like you should be on the phone while speeding anyway heh

semovodka · 10-28-2005, 11:03 AM

I live in Missouri, an hour and a half south of St. Louis. Missouri is notorious for its poor highway design, in fact we are in the top 5 for worst roads in the country. I will be more than happy to allow them to use my cell phone however they see fit to improve roads or allow for me to have less delays. Honestly, as long as they aren't tapping into my calls what do I care? I know the paranoia is big brother this and that, but I am a resident of Missouri and we have a serious traffic crisis on our hands. St. Louis delays in the city and standstills on the interstate are pathetic to say the least given all the construction they have done. I don't know, someone from missouri back me up on this. In all honesty, not everyone is out to get you. However, I will remain skeptical of this technology until I have a full report on how this system works.

turbochris · 10-31-2005, 10:03 AM

It would be cool to trick the system and make them think you were going 500mph and making instant 90 degree turns. Nasa would call you

IntellaWorks · 10-31-2005, 10:15 AM

I think that part of the thinking is that currently, emergency services only know the location of landlines. Now that a lot of poeple use cell phones emergency services have been failing because location of the caller is unknown.
As far as using the cell phones to track for speeding, I'm willing to bet they wouldn't even dare of trying although that thier approach to the whole thing is a little sketchy...

Shaar · 10-31-2005, 10:21 AM

semovodka -

i agree about the roads. they are horrible in comparison to the rest of the country from what i've seen. I too don't mind them tracking me to see what roads i drive on and what not, but i find it an invasion of privacy to use the data against me if they choose to do so. the speeding thing would be crossing the line IMO. but if they want to collect data, they can have at it. I don't do anything considered overly speeding anyways. i occasionally pass cars at 80 in a 65. and the occasional 35-40 in a 25. But thats about it.

DaveTN · 10-31-2005, 06:26 PM

Yeah,

They have been doing that here in Knoxville TN for a couple years now. Along a stretch of I-40/I-75 through knoxville there are poles about every 1/4 mile that have a sensor and a directional wifi(?) antenna. They have also placed movable cameras at certain locations and are using traffic cams at intersections.
The reported purpose of the cellular phone tracking is to monitor the average speed of vehicles (not individuals as they so tell us). When there is a sudden slowdown, that supposedly means that there may be a wreck. Then the control center can use the cameras to see and can post traffic messages on the light up signs. Thats cool....but where are the light up signs??? I have only seen one in all of knoxville. hmmmmm

David

Pathos · 10-31-2005, 09:24 PM

that is stupid.....next they will spy on you while you are in the bathroom through your toliet paper (and the roads here are ridiculous, I have to get a wheel alignment at least once a year because of the springtime potholes) and this quote

"The traffic community has been really excited for quite some time about the possibility of being able to use cell phones to track vehicles,"

......sounds all big brother like

CapitaineFritz · 10-31-2005, 09:31 PM

They could send you a text message saying "slow down a little bit"

Here, where I live (Québec, Canada), we do have sensors in the road and it works pretty well...

Journer · 10-31-2005, 09:35 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by DaveTN

Yeah,

They have been doing that here in Knoxville TN for a couple years now. Along a stretch of I-40/I-75 through knoxville there are poles about every 1/4 mile that have a sensor and a directional wifi(?) antenna. They have also placed movable cameras at certain locations and are using traffic cams at intersections.
The reported purpose of the cellular phone tracking is to monitor the average speed of vehicles (not individuals as they so tell us). When there is a sudden slowdown, that supposedly means that there may be a wreck. Then the control center can use the cameras to see and can post traffic messages on the light up signs. Thats cool....but where are the light up signs??? I have only seen one in all of knoxville. hmmmmm

David

Those lighted signs are such a waste of tax dollars. AL has like 10 all around just the birmingham area and they dont do squat. So far out of the 1,000 times i have passed them, they have been usefull ONCE. -_- lame

turbochris · 11-01-2005, 02:31 PM

Ifthe government can do it, they will do it and use it for whatever suits them. If it's contoversial, they just won't admit it, if they get caught, they will just sacrifice some low level person involved in the program. Gauranteed.

DOes anyone here believe the government wouldnt do something just because the people don't think it's right?