Technology Abuses

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 11^th, 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.