How private is the private car?
By: Les Dobson
Date: 1999-12-18
Revelations that a car used by Sinn Fein, political wing of the IRA, had been bugged during the sensitive Northern Ireland peace negotiations raise serious questions about the ease with which conversations in a car can be tracked and the vehicle's position monitored-and the ethics of doing so.
Press reports indicate that the monitoring equipment was highly sophisticated, having been installed into the infrastructure of a year-old Ford Mondeo with a tiny microphone, the size of a matchstick, hidden in the car roof. It's believed the transmitter, which relayed conversations and the car's position to a satellite overhead, was about the size of a silver 50-cent piece.
The equipment is readily available for purchase at electronics and security establishments, although at an admittedly high price of about $30,000 U.S.
But there are many devices that cost far less and are being used, not for covert purposes but for routine vehicle monitoring and tracking.
GM, for example, already has an in-vehicle safety, security and information service that will be expanded to most of the company's vehicle range and will be standard on some models by the end of next year. The existing OnStar system delivers a range of security, safety and communications facilities directly from the car through a 24-hour centre where advisors provide real-time person-to-person assistance.
Services offered include remote diagnostics, automatic notification of air bag deployment, automatic theft notification, roadside assistance and emergency services. In addition, the service will track stolen vehicles, advise the driver on the best route to take, provide data and fax transmission services and even unlock the doors remotely.
And at least two other companies with a presence on the Internet are offering retrofit electronic devices for a few hundred dollars. Roadtrac of Roswell, USA, is promoting the Ceres Personal Tracking System, which uses satellite mapping technology and a cellular telephone to track the location of a car. Primarily, the system is used to alert the company's telephone operators if a vehicle is in an accident or stolen. The operator then calls the police. Also, the operator can provide lost drivers with directions.
But an optional CD-ROM enables the system to interface with a home computer, turning it into a car-tracking monitor.
The Ceres web site at www.roadtrac.com describes the system as a "high-tech personal and vehicle security system along with vehicle tracking, roadside assistance and navigation. It's also a cellular phone and keyless entry with Remote Locksmith." Versions are available for commercial users including the owners of emergency vehicle fleets and haulage companies.
Another tracking device is AutoWatch from Ease Simulation in Milford, Pa. The equivalent of an airplane ''black box'', AutoWatch records how fast a vehicle is driven and for how long. It can also tell whether a driver likes to gun the engine or is hauling heavy loads.
AutoWatch uses a car's computer diagnostic system to record engine functions. The owner simply plugs it into a home computer and sets limits for speed, engine revs and other functions. The device, which has a tamper-proof seal, is then attached to the car's computer to be later returned to the PC for analysis.
Available for order at www. Easesim.com , AutoWatch may be used, according to the sales information, by business vehicle and fleet owners "to eliminate unauthorized vehicle use, reduce overtime costs, decrease fuel consumption and lower maintenance costs." It may be used by parents "to encourage good driving habits and help protect your children, yourself and others from loss of life, serious injury, property damage, and vehicle repair costs."
As with all technology, the spirit in which such devices are used is important. If one is worried about the whereabouts of one's teenage children, or even elderly parents, thinking they may have been in an accident, that's one thing. Deliberately using them to spy on other people, for example, a reckless driver or a philandering spouse, may (and we stress the word may) be another.
Certainly, as far as good and responsible driving habits are concerned, it's far better to teach by example reinforced by expert tuition. If this is the case, the need to use remote tracking and monitoring equipment to invade a person's privacy would be greatly diminished.
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