Spy Games From black boxes to GPS devices, your car is recording your every move.

Koenrner, Brandon I. "Spy Games: From Black Boxes to GPS Devices, Yo r !ar Is "ecordin# Yo r $very %ove." Reader's Digest & ly '())*+: ,-.,*. Print. Brave New World /0ile #assin# p 0is rented ve0icle, a driver 1inds 0is de2it card 0as 2een declined. /0y3 4e5s 2een 0it 6it0 7*8) in mysterio s 1ees. 9 0idden on.2oard device, 0e learns, 0as ca #0t 0im speedin# t0ree times. 9 6oman 2ecomes terri1ied 2y 0er ex.2oy1riend5s stalkin#. 4o6 does 0e al6ays kno6 60ere s0e is3 Police 1ind t0e ans6er nder t0e 0ood o1 0er car: a Glo2al Positionin# System 'GPS+ near t0e radiator. 9 !ali1ornia comm ter 6it0 a Fas:rak ta# ;ips alon# a Bay 9rea 0i#06ay. %icroc0ip readers lo# data 1rom t0e ta#, and it5s sent to a data2ase t0at monitors tra11ic, 60ere it5s pres ma2ly sa1e 1rom 0ackers. /elcome to t0e 2rave ne6 6orld, a tomotive division, 60ere a sle6 o1 #i;mos .. 1rom 2lack 2oxes to GPS navi#ators to smart toll2oot0s .. is creatin# cars t0at don5t < st take s 1rom point 9 to point B, 2 t track 0o6 6e #et t0ere. Fe6 6o ld deny t0at tec0nolo#ical advances like antilock 2rakes, air 2a#s and traction control 0ave made cars less dan#ero s. =o6, comp ter trackin# is makin# t0e drivin# experience even sa1er and more convenient. It5s also 0elpin# la6 en1orcement, and promisin# 2ene1its 1or ins rers and policy0olders. For all t0e #ood, t0o #0, some see t0e ne6 tec0nolo#ies c0ippin# a6ay at personal privacy. "/e don5t 0ave m c0 1ederal privacy le#islation 60en it comes to t0ese ne6 tec0nolo#ies yet," says Pam Dixon, exec tive director o1 t0e /orld Privacy For m, a researc0 #ro p. "9nd t0ere5s #oin# to 2e a massive amo nt o1 in1o 1loatin# aro nd." >ne so rce o1 t0at in1o: ve0ic lar.event data recorders '$D"s+, t0e so.called 2lack 2oxes t0at lo# everyt0in# 1rom 2rakin# to seat.2elt se 60en an accident occ rs. :0ey are no6 2 ilt into (8 million ?.S..made cars, and are standard in all G% and some Ford models. Police increasin#ly se t0em to decide 60o5s to 2lame in cras0es. In %ay ())-, 1or instance, $d6in %atos, *,, 6as convicted o1 ve0ic lar mansla #0ter 1or killin# t6o teena#e #irls in Florida. Data 1rom 0is ())( Pontiac :rans 9m5s $D" s0o6ed 0im drivin# @)* mp0 at t0e time o1 t0e accident. Says %ic0ael 4oro6it;, t0e Florida state attorney in t0e case: "I t0ink A2lack 2oxesB are openin# p possi2ilities in cases 60ere t0ere isn5t a lot o1 p0ysical evidence." Yo co ld say t0at t0e $D" 0olds t0e car5s D=9.

9nd t0at5s 6orrisome, 2eca se anyone can 2 y a device t0at taps into many $D"s. >ne pop lar model, Cetronix5s !ras0 Data "etrieval System, #oes 1or 7(,*D8, and is sed 2y 1orensic specialists 0ired 2y ins rers to pro2e accidents. B t a s0ady 2ody.s0op o6ner can #et one, too, and t0en sell t0e data to an ins rer, 60ic0 co ld se it to re6rite a driver5s policy. >0io.2ased Pro#ressive Ins rance 0as already tested a pro#ram .. d 22ed sa#e.2ased a to ins rance .. tili;in# GPS data. In @DD, a2o t @,))) :exas c stomers allo6ed Pro#ressive to o t1it t0eir ve0icles 6it0 GPS collection devices, 60ic0 pinpoint location data via a (*.satellite net6ork. :0e devices tracked 0o6 1ar motorists drove, at 60at time o1 day and to 60at type o1 area ' r2an, s 2 r2an or r ral+. Drivin# less, 2ein# care1 l and avoidin# 0i#0.t0e1t areas c t some drivers5 2ills 2y an avera#e o1 (8 percent. S c0 a sa#e.2ased pro#ram 0its 0i#0.milea#e motorists 6it0 t0e steepest premi ms. Drivers in t0at cate#ory .. lon#.distance comm ters, 1or instance .. pro2a2ly 6o ldn5t em2race t0e concept. B t ot0ers do, incl din# t0e $P9, 60ic0 sees it as a #ood 6ay to c t emissions. Pro#ressive says GPS tec0nolo#y5s 0i#0 cost 0alted a 6ider rollo t at t0e time. /it0 t0e cost 1allin#, sa#e.2ased ins rance co ld 2ecome common. utomotive Stalking GPS set ps are no6 so c0eap t0at some 1ear a 6ave o1 a tomotive stalkin#. In ())( Pa l Seidler o1 Kenos0a, /isconsin, 6as c0ar#ed 6it0 stalkin# and ot0er crimes 1or placin# a GPS device in 0is ex.#irl1riend5s car and monitorin# it 1rom 0is laptop. '4e str ck a plea deal 6it0 prosec tors.+ "Cery 1e6 Astalkin#B stat tes mention GPS 2y name," says :racy Ba0m, director o1 t0e Stalkin# "eso rce !enter at t0e =ational !enter 1or Cictims o1 !rime. ":0ere5s a 2i# E estion mark on 0o6 t0ese cases 6ill 2e treated." B t t0ese devices 0elp t0e #ood # ys too. Prosec tors in t0e Scott Peterson case 0ave 2een allo6ed to admit potentially damnin# evidence 1rom 0is ve0icles5 GPS. :0e data, t0ey alle#e, s0o6 Peterson, acc sed o1 killin# 0is pre#nant 6i1e, Faci, payin# 1ive visits to t0e !ali1ornia marina 60ere 0er 2ody 6as event ally discovered 1ollo6in# 0er !0ristmas $ve ())( disappearance. /0at i1 yo 6ant to 2e tracked3 Intelli#ent transportation tec0nolo#y 0as 2een a 2oon t0ere too. /it0 more t0an t6o million s 2scri2ers, G%5s >nStar s 2sidiary can link a distressed driver to an operator, 60o can alert emer#ency personnelG t0e GPS data ;eros in on a car5s location, so 0elp can arrive promptly. :0at5s critical 1or drivers stranded on stran#e roads and na2le to #ive exact directions. >nStar lo#s some @H,))) roadside assistance calls eac0 mont0. :0at5s a lot o1 drivers .. 60o yo can 2et 6ill never #ive p t0eir GPS. %illions o1 comm ters 1eel t0e same a2o t t0eir toll ta#s. Yet motorists 60o se services like $.IPass in t0e =ort0east, !ali1ornia5s Fas:rak and 4o ston5s $I :a# may 1or#et t0at t0eir movements are recorded 2y t0e radio1reE ency identi1ication ta#s on t0eir 6inds0ields. 9 t0orities can #et t0at data 6it0 a co rt order .. and solve crimes. :0ey did < st t0at in @DDJ, sin# records to 1ind a

slain =e6 &ersey resta rate r and t0en track do6n t0e men 60o con1essed to killin# 0im. In t0e Bay 9rea, t0e Fas:rak system monitors ve0icles as t0ey travel t0ro #0 t0e re#ion. >ver0ead detectors lo# t0e location and time o1 Fas:rak ta#s on passin# ve0icles. :0e data is encrypted to protect it 1rom 0ackers, and 1ed into a centrali;ed comp ter system. :0e in1ormation 0elps keep tra11ic 1lo6in# and is sed to pdate real.time maps on t0e /e2. 9n important sa1ety se o1 "FID ta#s is likely to 2e on tires. 91ter 1a lty Firestone tires 6ere tied to do;ens o1 deat0s in t0e 5D)s, !on#ress passed a la6 to prevent a repeat. "e# lators are developin# a plan to reE ire so1t.tire 6arnin# systems on 1 t re ve0icles. 9 possi2ility: "FID.2ased systems t0at alert drivers a2o t nderin1lation. By #ivin# eac0 tire its o6n radio si#nat re, t0e ta#s mi#0t also 2e se1 l in t0e event o1 a recall. Bene1its aside, t0e 2i##est privacy iss e at stake may 2e 0o6 m c0 o1 t0e data #at0ered is availa2le to t0ird parties 'and not < st ins rers .. t0ink t0e #overnment or yo r 2oss too+. 9lready, many 1irms t0at se pro1essional drivers are placin# GPS #ear in ve0icles to ens re employees aren5t #oo1in# o11. Some nonpro1essional drivers 1ear similar trackin# i1 t0ey s 2scri2e to a GPS service. "People love t0e idea o1 0avin# t0eir car located 60en it5s stolen," says Brian %oody, an expert 6it0 edm nds.com, a cons mer a tomotive reso rce. "B t t0ey mi#0t not 6ant people to kno6 t0at t0ey #o to a strip cl 2 at ni#0t." Firms t0at market t0ese smart systems #enerally adopt privacy policies t0at 2ar s c0 2reac0es. "/e don5t sell t0eir data to any2ody else," says >nStar spokes6oman Geri Fama. "/e don5t do anyt0in# extrac rric lar." 9mon# t0e reE ests >nStar 6o ld re<ect: a parent tryin# to 1ind a teen o t 6it0 t0e 1amily car, or someone askin# a2o t a spo se5s drivin# 0a2its. >nStar, Fama says, p r#es all GPS data 1rom its comp ters a1ter a year, does not keep it else60ere and doesn5t se it in any ot0er 6ay. Still, t0e company5s privacy policy states: "/e cannot # arantee t0at yo r private comm nications and ot0er personally identi1ia2le in1ormation 6ill never 2e disclosed in 6ays not descri2ed in t0is policy." 9mon# t0ose 6ays: la6 en1orcement #ettin# recent GPS data 6it0 a co rt orderG clerical or comp ter errors makin# data accessi2leG and 0ackers s6ipin# data tied to a car .. travel patterns or even credit.card in1ormation .. 2y piercin# sec rity systems. Po6er1 l tec0nolo#ical sa1e# ards can 0elp ease privacy 1ears. Fas:rak 0as earned pla dits 1or its encryption tec0niE es. Fas:rak also pled#es a ni#0tly p r#e o1 t0e data2ase sed to pdate its /e2 maps. :o#et0er, t0ese preca tions s0o ld t06art any 0acker seekin# to track a driver over time. Fe#al protections aren5t so advanced. Fast year, !ali1ornia 2ecame t0e 1irst state to re# late $D" data, 2annin# anyone ot0er t0an a ve0icle5s o6ner and, nder certain conditions, la6 en1orcement to access s c0 data.

B t so 1ar no 1ederal le#islation ans6ers s c0 E estions as 0o6 lon# GPS data can 2e stored, 1or example, or nder 60at circ mstances a t0orities can reE est data 1rom smart toll2oot0s. ":0ere are ne6 tec0nolo#ies all t0e time, and t0e la6s need to 2e amended to catc0 p," says Bo2 Kelly, an attorney 6it0 SE ire, Sanders K Dempsey, 60o advises t0e Intelli#ent :ransportation Society o1 9merica, a trade #ro p. "esponsi2le companies, 0e says, 6on5t a2 se c stomer privacy. 9cme "ent.a.!ar certainly 0eard criticism 1or its GPS trackin# sc0eme. "espondin# to a complaint 1rom &ames : rner, t0e rental.car c stomer st ck 6it0 t0ose 7*8) c0ar#es, !onnectic t5s Department o1 !ons mer Protection moved a#ainst 9cme, claimin# t0e 1ines 6ere ille#al and r lin# t0at 60ile 9cme can add GPS nits to cars, it can5t levy speedin# 1ines. '9cme 0as appealed t0e r lin#, partially, it ar# es, 2eca se its contract clearly 6arned a2o t t0e speedin# s rc0ar#e.+ >1 co rse, yo can dod#e s rveillance. B y a car 6it0 no 2lack 2ox '60ile yo can+, sp rn GPS 'keep maps 0andy+ and pay tolls in cas0 'en<oy t0ose lines+. In ot0er 6ords, em2race inconvenience. Barrin# a privacy catastrop0e 2i##er t0an 9cme5s 1ines and t0e rare stalkin#, most drivers 6ill take t0e road o1 least resistance.