3 chapters across the catalog
California is exploring a new road tax system that uses GPS "black boxes" to track mileage, as declining gasoline tax revenue fails to cover infrastructure costs. The system would charge drivers based on miles driven rather than fuel consumed. The discussion touches on the legality of GPS jammers and the potential for "Slave Compliance Data" devices to feed fake, positive data to government trackers.
The Dutch government is moving forward with a plan to install GPS-based "black boxes" in all automobiles by 2010 to facilitate a usage-based road tax. While officials claim the data is private, exceptions exist for "state security" and "terrorism prevention," effectively allowing total movement surveillance. The Netherlands is described as a "beta test" country for invasive technologies that eventually migrate to the United Kingdom and the United States.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood suggested a tax based on vehicle miles traveled using GPS tracking. While the White House later distanced itself from the proposal, the hosts argue that the public is being conditioned to accept extreme invasions of privacy and that such systems are already being tested internationally.
