E Z PASS...I don't know...

[PCIntern]

I've had EZ PASS for several years now and it seems that there are more and more sensors out there which are reminiscent of those which you encounter in drive-thru 'tollbooths' where you don't have to reduce your speed. I'm beginning to wonder if they're starting to trace whereabouts of specific individuals who have had the transponder placed upon their person or their vehicle. It's like the Homer from the old James Bond books/films.

At first, one might think that you could put one in police and fire vehicles or delivery trucks in order to track their whereabouts for civic or corporate reasons. But imagine if one were placed in everyone's auto on the assembly line or elsewhere...

Not too paranoid these days, right?

[Heidi]

1. Maybe I'm ignorant, but doesn't GPS in a vehicle allow its movements

to be more easily tracked? And can't that also be done with cell phones?

[PCIntern]

2. Yes it does and yes cell phones as well can be tracked

but GPS's cost is prohibitive and cell phones allow you to track individuals but the notion of tracking a vehicle's progress, considering the contents of said vehicle vs. the passenger manifest may be of some importance. This would apply to cargo and other issues...

[LiberalFighter]

3. They used that in a crime show. Getting the route traveled.

But that can be easily avoided if one really wants to avoid detection.

[Oleladylib]

4. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE E-Z pass

[PCIntern]

6. EZ PASS is almost better than sex...

driving on the AC Expressway with 6 million cars in line to pay the toll and whizzing by on the left at 60 thru the plaza is exhilarating!

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. Right you are. Storing quarters while naked can be a problem

[rug]

11. Well, only if you're in a hurry.

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. I think EZ Pass would be the least of my worries.

I'll bet most rental cars have devices to keep tabs on where they are driven, for example. I recently rented one and I'll bet they knew where the car was at any given moment.

EZ pass can easily track times between given points (toll plazas), but beyond that I don't know.

[Atman]

13. Connecticut had a big lawsuit against a rental car company about a year ago

Found out the car company was SECRETLY tracking drivers' speeds, and charging them a big surcharge every time the car exceeded the speed limit for more than five or ten minutes at a time. People would return their rentals and only at the end of the month would they discover they'd been billed hundreds of dollars in "fines."

.

[TheCowsCameHome]

14. Ouch. I bet that made a few jaws drop.

[dems_rightnow]

8. I wouldn't use EZ Pass

if I thought anyone had any interest in where I was. I'm not nearly interesting enough to track, though.

[yellowcanine]

9. If you are really worried about it you can put it in the foil pouch when it is not needed to pay a

toll. I am more worried about the SUVs tailgating me on my motorcycle.
An EZ pass is a must when riding a motorcycle. When will Ohio and Indiana get with the program on their turnpikes?

[PCIntern]

10. I'm not worried about me...I'm concerned that this is just

one more way that we are going to be followed in the vein of 1984. You don't need national ID cards if virtually everyone carries a cellular phone, drives a car with a transponder, and works at a password-'protected' work station. This accounts for about 23+ hours a day...

just remarking upon how 'progress' may also abridge our privacy...what's left of it.

[yellowcanine]

15. Turn off your cell phone. Your workstation belongs to your employer. You never had the expectation

of privacy there. Like it or not, it is true.

[MindPilot]

12. Already here; OnStar and EDRs (Event Data Recorders)

http://www.motorists.org/edr/

http://www.motorists.org/blog/speed-limits/will-gm-be-driving-your-next-new-car/

And trucking companies have been using GPS-based devices for several years to monitor their rigs. I know because I edited the installation manual.

The big advantage is they can tell right away when a driver may be in some kind of trouble. The downside of course is obvious.