E-ZPass scanners track cars far away from toll plazas

[TalkingDog]

http://www.myfoxny.com/story/23481151/e-zpass-scanners-track-cars-far-away-from-toll-plazas

In a blog, the driver says he rigged this "cow" so it would go off whenever E-ZPass technology was being used. You can see for yourself: it's going off in the middle of New York City, nowhere near a toll plaza.

These contraptions, which reportedly went up citywide over the last few months on traffic lights, are what are reading your E-ZPass tag.

snip

But the former head of NYCLU, Norman Siegel, says there are big questions about what is being done with the information in the name of security.

The New York City Department of Transportation admits the scanners belong to the department, but insist they are for studying traffic patterns.

[global1]

1. Wow!!!-Just The Other Day I Was Thinking About This....

After hearing about all this NSA spying I made the leap and thought - what's preventing them from putting sensors up everywhere and track all my moves with my I-Pass. And now just 3 days later I'm reading this. Wow - just - Wow!!!!!

[crankyheckler]

2. Honestly though,

I truly believe people are far more paranoid than they need to be. Are things like this, (if indeed the state IS tracking people using their EZ-Pass) a violation of the 4th? Yes. Does it matter? Not really. What good does it do the government if they can see my personal daily driving habits, like what highways I drive on or what intersections I pass? I have a smartphone, I get US mail, I have a job, there are PLENTY of ways for "the government" to find me if they REALLY wanted to find me, it doesn't really matter if they also have the ability to see what roads I take.

I dunno, I guess I just think people are too paranoid. Can "the government" track your every move? Yes. If they have it out for you, they can. Using hundreds of means, and that will never change. If you become a suspect in something you didn't do, there are literally hundreds of ways for you to be found, cell phone being #1. So why have any anxiety on ANY level about an EZ-Pass?

(BTW - you can easily avoid this by slipping your EZ-Pass inside a metallic bag or a tin foil pouch and placing it in your glove compartment, if it does cause you anxiety, and then ONLY temporarily pulling it out when you're going through a toll.)

[The Straight Story]

3. No problem with it if we can do the same to those in power

And track everything they do, where they go, etc and have the same access to them as they do to us.

[gopiscrap]

4. welcome to DU

[madokie]

8. I simply keep coins in my car to pay the toll with

Turn GPS off on my cell phone. When it comes right down to it I really don't care if they're tracking me or not except if they are they're wasting time where they could be tracking somone they should be
Lots of things I might do but something illegal is not one of them.

[Agschmid]

5. This is another...

If you've been paying attention you'd know this, story.

All you have to do is drive the NYS highway system and they are everywhere. The thruway has them quite often between toll plazas and I can only assume someday they could track your avg speed and send speeding tickets based on that.

The foil method works...

[Earth_First]

7. Yes. I've wondered this myself, too...

I travel NY I-90 frequently between Buffalo, Rochester and Albany. Some days I make really good time based on traffic and average speed.

It's a matter of time before toll plazas are gauging this time on plate/pass scanning and sending out speeding violations based on this information.

[Agschmid]

9. Look for the white rectangular boxes...

Either freestanding or attached to bridges... those are EZ Pass readers.

There are quite a few between Rochester and Buffalo which is the drive I did myself.

[woo me with science]

6. K&R