I have always been a technophile. I absolutely love computers and automation. I was an early adopter of VHS and cell
phones. I got my degree in computer
science in 1975 in the age of COBOL and the punched ‘IBM Card’ and never looked
back.
I believe that technology can make our lives easier and make
us better able to deal with our world.
There is no doubt, for example, that the development of X-ray technology
and MRI has saved thousands of lives.
Unfortunately, technology has a dark side. That happens when governments exploit
technology to overstep their bounds.
Here are 3 examples that I find particularly disturbing…
1)
E-ZPass
I got a disturbing letter in the mail today
from the E-ZPass NY Service Center Violations Processing Unit. The letter was entitled “WARNING OF EXCESSIVE
SPEED IN A THRUWAY AUTHORITY TOLL LANE”.
According to the letter, I sped through the toll booth at 25 miles per
hour. The letter warned that “The next
violation of the posted speed limit by any tag assigned to your E-ZPass
privileges for at least 60 days.
Additional violations may also result in a further suspension or
revocation of your E-ZPass account.”
I was definitely driving on the NY State
Thruway around that time and I don’t really doubt that I was traveling faster
than the speed limit when I went through the toll plaza. My problem comes with both the threatening
nature of the letter and the abuse of technology that prompted it.
No one watched me drive through the toll
booth too fast, yet I am being put on notice that I will be punished if I do
that again. There is no evidence that
the calculation of my speed is accurate and no way for me to dispute it.
One concern which was aired repeatedly
during the roll out of E-ZPass, was the concern that the government would use
the information to track our whereabouts.
When the Department of Transportation began to use the E-ZPass
transceivers to report of the travel time between various exits, they promised
that the information would not be used to punish individual drivers for
speeding, even though they could clearly calculate when a particular vehicle
traveled between the two points faster than the posted speed limit.
We were assured that the information would
only be provided to the police if they had a court ordered warrant. Today’s letter serves as a warning that they
may be tracking more than they promised.
2)
Red Light Cameras
I have similar concerns about the
proliferation of red light cameras.
These devices are designed to allow municipalities to issue tickets to
drivers if they run a red light or don’t make a full stop prior to turning
right on red and I am sure other infractions as well.
While I certainly don’t condone running red
lights, I am troubled that we are using technology to convict people of
violations that no one is there to witness.
How far away are we from a time when
parking meters are equipped to issue tickets if you are parked longer than the
time paid for? Or camera’s catching and
fining people for littering?
3)
Government Spying on Every Citizen
I want to be clear that I consider Edward
Snowden to be a thief and a traitor and I hope that one day he will face
punishment for his actions. Having said
that, I am also outraged at the information that he brought to life.
Especially since September 11th,
our government, under the guise of protecting us from further attack, has
systematically attacked out liberties and curtailed our rights. Traveling on an airplane means that we are
subjected to intrusive searches and pat downs even though we are not suspects
in a crime nor are we acting suspiciously.
Now, thanks to Mr. Snowden, we learn that the government is capturing
phone records for every call we make or receive and compiling huge databases
which they are mining for information about our every activity. We are not talking about just people
suspected of a crime, we are talking about everyone!
They claim that they are not recording
every call. I don’t believe them. Do
you?
I
believe that it is important to recognize that just because we have a capability
to do something does not in and of itself justify the activity. We must insist that our government entities
respect our laws and protect our rights.
