January 3, 2005

The Little Black Box in Cars: Spies on How You Drive

The lower cost of surveillance technology is making it cheaper for third parties to spy on drivers. The technology’s use in automobiles has the support of law enforcement and prosecutors. The technology is similar to the “black box” technology found on aircraft, which records data that can be used in the event of an accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that about 30 million of the 200 million cars and trucks on the road are equipped with the device. Privacy advocates argue that drivers should have control over how the technology is used in personal vehicles and should be made aware of its presence in retail vehicles.

Black Boxes in Cars Cause Privacy Concerns, St Louis Sunday Gazette-Mail, December 7, 2004