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              | Date: 2001-06-21 
 
 US: GPS als Radardfalle-.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.-
 
 q/depesche  01.06.21
 
 US: GPS als Radardfalle
 
 Einstweilen braucht es noch den Einsatz eines Global Positioning
 Systems im Wagen, um Geschwindigkeitsübertretungen
 nachzuweisen. Bald werden auch die GSM Netze dazu in der Lage
 sein.
 
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 relayed by
 "g'o'tz ohnesorge" <gotz@amiga.com>
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 Special to CNET News.com June 20, 2001, 11:35 a.m. PT Car
 renters beware: Big Brother may be riding shotgun.
 
 In a case that could help set the bar for the amount of privacy
 drivers of rental cars can expect, a Connecticut man is suing a
 local rental company, Acme Rent-a-Car, after it used GPS (Global
 Positioning System) technology to track him and then fined him
 $450 for speeding three times.
 
 The case underscores the ways that new technologies can invade
 people's privacy, said Richard Smith, chief technologist at the not-
 for-profit Privacy Foundation.
 
 "Soon our cell phones will be tracking us," he said. "GPS could be
 one more on the checklist here. Frankly, giving out speeding
 tickets is the job of the police, not of private industry."
 
 Rental car companies have used GPS devices since the mid-
 1990s, installing systems to give drivers directions while they're on
 the road. "Fleet management" companies such as AirIQ and
 Fleetrack are also selling newer tracking services that help
 companies monitor their vehicles.
 
 The New Haven Small Claims Court case pits New Haven resident
 James Turner against Acme. Turner also filed a claim with the
 Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
 
 Turner paid for the rental car with a debit card last fall and, after
 returning the car, was shocked to find that an extra $450 had been
 taken out of his account, according to an article in the New Haven
 Advocate, where the case was first reported.
 
 Turner could not be contacted for this article, and his attorney did
 not return phone calls.
 
 When Turner contested the charges, Acme was able to point out
 on a map exactly where he exceeded the company's threshold
 speed of 79 mph.
 
 For Acme, however, the policy is not about penalizing customers
 but about protecting its cars, said Max F. Brunswick, the attorney
 representing the company.
 
 Acme recently decided to equip its cars with GPS technology and
 uses tracking services from AirIQ to find stolen rental cars and
 charge customers for "dangerous" conduct. The policy is stated in
 bold at the top of the rental agreement, Brunswick said.
 
 Mehr
 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-6333149.html?tag=dd.ne.dtx.nl-sty.0
 
 
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 edited by
 published on: 2001-06-21
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