The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) is launching a pilot program that will track data about how and when the motorists drive, how fast and how much gas they use.
The project is called “Drive Smart” and it will help fix traffic problems, according to the Department of Transportation. DOT officials say Drive Smart uses technology innovations to help drivers save money, time and drive more safely.
However, many people are concerned that the program will be like “Big Brother is watching you.”
Drivers will receive an On Board Diagnostic Device (OBD-II) from DOT. The tiny black box with the size of a pack of gum will be mounted right under the steering wheel. The device will allow city officials to collect data about how you drive. Alex Keating, senior project manager at the Department of Transportation says that the device will “tell the g-force of hard stopping or hard acceleration and a hard turn”. So both the driver and the service provider will be able to look at speeds, hard-breaking events, time of day and basic GPS.
City officials say they will use the information only to make the streets safer. Some Department of Transportation private sector partners, that incentivize safe driving and environmentally efficient travel choices, also could use the information and so Drive Smart will provide a wide range of services and mobile applications to drivers. For example, drivers will be able to benefit from a usage-based insurance program offered by a leading national insurer. Participants will be given insurance discounts of 30 percent.
However, security expert Manny Gomez says that there are many reasons to just say no to this project and one of them is the danger of hacking.
Gomez says that anything is hackable as Sony was hacked, the U.S. government was hacked and the City of New York could be hacked too and this information could easily become public. So the information could be used against people. Others consider that the government will have more control over the people.
Officials from the Department of Transportation reminded that “all of the data is anonymous” and that the data from its database is erasen every two days.
The Department of Transportation is currently looking for 400 volunteers to take part in this-year-long program.
If you want to enroll, you need a valid driver’s license and you have to drive in the city at least four days a week.
