Example of an Event Data Recorder (EDR) Device via http://www.njlawman.com/news/event-data-recorder.htm
Bruce Schneier - Black Box Records in Automobiles (May 26, 2011)
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2011/05/black_box_recor.html
Keith Barry - Automotive Black Boxes, Minus the Gray Area (May 23, 2011)
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/05/automotive-black-boxes/
"Binary Blogger" - Black Boxes In Your Car, Safety Issue Or Easier To Apply Blame? (May 31, 2011)
http://technorati.com/technology/article/black-boxes-in-your-car-safety/
Alex Nishimoto -Thread of the Day: Do You Support Having a “Black Box” in Your Car? (May 27, 2011)
http://wot.motortrend.com/thread-day-support-having-black-box-car-82309.html#ixzz1O9YaRezR
* * *
In Cory Doctorow's free e-book version of Little Brother, security technologist and author, Bruce Schneier pens one of the afterwards.
I have since checked out Schneier's website and have subscribed to his blog feed.
Recently, Schneier pointed out that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's is considering the proposal of new rules for the United States that would make it a requirement for automobile makers to install "black box" event data recorders (EDR's) in all new vehicles. These black boxes would always be turned on, the data collected would likely be a trade secret, and most people would probably only be vaguely aware of their existence (and only then because of a legal disclosure in the owners manual, which disclosure likely explains that to tamper with the device may make affect your warranty coverage).
The information recorded by these black boxes could, in turn, be used by insurance companies, law enforcement, and the automobile companies themselves, for instance.
Creepy? Outrageous? Well, according to Keith Barry's May 23rd Wired.com article:
Automakers have long installed electronic data recorders in their automobiles, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has since late 2006 required automakers to tell consumers about the devices. That federal rule also outlines what information is recorded and stipulates that it be used to increase vehicle safety.
For instance, since the early 1990's nearly all GM vehicles with airbags have contained these EDR devices, which have evolved over time to collect data from at least 30 different data points.
The data can be used by the auto manufacturer's for improving safety and analyzing collisions. (Sounds ok, right?)
In the case of a lawsuit, this data can be used as evidence if permitted by state law. State law can also determine whether law enforcement can access the data without a warrant or subpoena.
Technorati.com writer, "Binary Blogger," poses some great "food for thought" about this issue:
...you have no idea what is being recorded. Speed, brakes, engine statistics would be the basic data points you would think are getting stored, but what about GPS position? With almost every car new having a GPS installed in them, why couldn't they store your coordinates as you drive as well? Record if you have your seat belt on or not? Look at the volume of your radio? Detect how many people are in the car? If your car has a camera system, who says they are not taking a picture every 30 seconds and storing it? Cars today have several computers all over the place to control fuel, brakes, electrical, etc... all it takes is a small change to record a data point.
Some insurance companies have been offering reduced premiums for drivers who agree to have their driving monitored by the insurance companies via EDR technology. For at-risk drivers, this would be a tempting way to be able to stay on the road.
I found MotorTrend's poll on the question of whether its readers support having black boxes installed in their vehicles interesting, as well. As one commenter, "Tom", put it:
The reason there is no outrage over GM using them is that if you truly do not want one, you can simply choose another brand, or take the box out of your GM car. Also, the government would not be monitoring the boxes on one brand. If every car was required to have one, it would not be a stretch for the government to start keeping tabs on people.
Dangerous Questions?
Does your car have a black box installed? Check out your owner's manual and the lists maintained at HarrisTechnical.com.
Unless you drive an older vehicle and/or a vehicle without air bags, chances are your car is using EDR technology. It looks like my 1999 Jeep Wrangler may be "black box"-free (with Wranglers carrying the technology for 2007 models and newer).
Now that you've determined whether you have been driving around with a black box, how do you feel about this? Relieved? Safe? Annoyed? Angry? Indifferent?
6 comments:
I had no idea this technology existed or could be in my car. I believe my '02 Mazda is black box free at the moment. I can definitely see the advantages...determining crash data etcetera. However, at this point most car accidents have physical evidence or witnesses to frame a fairly true picture of events. I do not like the idea of the government or insurance agencies being able to "track" the drivers. One positive use of this location technology would be if it could be used in kidnapping or Amber alert cases. I have not heard of anyone trying to track a car by this method. Many times in a kidnapping case the make and model of the car is known, if we could click into the black box, locate the car and save a victim this would be great. But what about when the kidnapper gives the car to an unsuspecting person and we end up with innocent people questioned like in Little Brother? I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this technology but is seems that it could quickly become standard and how many of us are really going to choose a horse over a black box car? This is where our standard of living, convenience or necessity allow freedom/privacy invasive technologies to creep into being accepted parts of our lives. Though there may be some validity to these devices, they seem to have some potentially huge privacy implications.
My little Saturn has been spying on me!:( Actually, it must be boring to be spying on me; people make fun of my driving because I'm so defensive--I don't speed, don't run red lights, etc. I also don't go very many places, other than work and the grocery store. But I would still like to know just what sort of information these black boxes collect. For all we know, it could be recording conversations.
Now I'm tempted to check my owner's manual to see if it mentions this device outside of the small print, and just where it puts this information. (Is it with the air bag information? Systems information?) Like many owners, I haven't read mine cover-to-cover and use it more for referencing when I need it than as a must-read-before-use thing.
@ Anne, I never thought about using this technology for kidnapping cases! That reminds me of the OnStar capabilities, that can alert authorities when your car is stolen and turn off the engine when police are pursuing a car. In theory this sounds like a great idea, but it always gave me a pause when I saw the commercials. OnStar has the capabilities to do what? Yep, that's right, hack into your car's computer.
Anyway, as far as the black box is concerned, yes my car has it, but I am feeling pretty indifferent. Unless it gets to the point that the black box can convict me of something, I am not too worried. Is it invading my privacy or taking away my freedom? Not really. In fact, I didn't even know it was there.
If these black boxes prevent kids from street racing and killing themselves and the occupants of the car and anyone else in the vicinity, I am in favor of such technologies.
As far as the GPS, as long as its opt-in I am in favor. The fact that I would be able to reduce my rates by driving normally is definitely a positive. The day I am forced to put a device in my car to get insured at all I may feel differently.
One would hope the databases with GPS information and all personal information are very secure. That is data that some people might not want in the wrong hands.
Both our 2007 Prius and 2002 Saturn have been monitoring us as well. Now I have to decide whether or not to tell my husband about this - he wasn't sure he wanted to get a GPS system because then "they" would know where he was. Oh well, at least now I can tell him that they already knew!
I think one of my biggest problems with this is that the data collected is secret? If it is a device on my car, recording my actions, then I certainly have a right to know what it is. I also don't like the idea that messing with it may mess with my warranty. It doesn't have anything to do with how my car operates, so that just comes down to blackmail.
I am one of those people who believe that if I pay money for something and own it, then I have every right to screw around with it. A company should not be able to produce and sell something and then keep its contents secret from those who own it. I hate how corporations seem to have more rights than people anymore. That's why a lot of our ancestors left England - East India tea, anyone?
Anyway, sorry for the rant. Great post Lisa!
Most people don’t know of the existence of this technology (like myself), so even if they have the “spying boxes”, they wouldn’t know that they have been recorded so they can still drive recklessly. We always try to drive carefully when a police car is around and we don’t rush through the red light if we know that particular intersection has cameras…So may be if people are aware of these boxes, they would be better drivers. And yet, it is a creepy feeling to know that you’ve been recorded.
Post a Comment