Black Boxes In Cars Will Be Standard By 2014

These event data recorders are already in 96 percent of vehicles Hi Member's, what do you think ? Do you think Black Boxes are good or bad ? Please post your thoughts `OK (?) Does your car have Black Boxe that records your speed, if you had your seat belt fasten, etc > How much money you have ? > LOL for fines (LOL)
Were you cheating on your wife (Your blackbox may have the answer )

Posted: Jul 22, 2013

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If you thought police tracking your movements via license plate scanners was creepy, you may want to check your owner's manual to see if your own car has been spying on you.

Event data recorders, also known as EDRs or black boxes, began showing up in cars in 1990 when General Motors introduced them for quality control purposes. The New York Times reports 96 percent of cars now carry some sort of black box under the dashboard, and the National Highway Traffic Administration wants the technology standard in all vehicles sold in the U.S by 2014.

Automotive black boxes are different than the kind that are in airplanes, which continuously record audio, mechanical functions and location. In cars, the box only transmits information to the car's computer in the event of a crash or air bag deployment. Recorders capture vehicle speed, brake activity, crash forces and even seatbelt use at the time of the event.

Some consumer advocates say the recording devices are ripe for abuse. Although legally the property of the car owner, 14 states have laws on the books allowing third parties such as law enforcement agencies, lawyers involved in criminal or civil suits and insurance companies access to the information via warrant.

"These cars are equipped with computers that collect massive amounts of data," said Khaliah Barnes of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based consumer group told The New York Times. "Without protections, it can lead to all kinds of abuse."

There are currently no guidelines on how the information can be used and, since the equipment and expertise to access the information in proprietary to each manufacturer, no way to independently verify or challenge readings in court. NHTSA regulations would require automakers to provide a commercially available event data reader in the future, but there are currently no options for consumers to get at their own data. Click here to read more about this fascinating story.

 

I had one of those things you plug into your OBDII port to save on your insurance, and I actually started freaking out knowing I was being watched and it drove me insane, needless to say out it came. I understand black boxes can be benefitial, but idk.

 

Thanks Keane for your words & being the first to post on this thread.
It seems that we are being recorded everywhere we go walking, driving, flying etc...I just wish they would concentrate more on getting the criminals `off the streets > those that are out there threatening our safety & way of life...

I know at the warehouses I work, everything is recorded except the restrooms...The doors to the restrooms are recorded to see who goes in (for how long) and when they come out...Do we really have to record to keep people honest ? To me, it's sad, but it sure forces some people to be honest (& 2 me that's sad, that someone has to be watched to prevent them from doing wrong)
It's happening because of `all those BAD PeoPLe out there (lol) Yes, YOU (LOL)

I do understand that the black boxes could be a good thing & be used in your defense `if you did nothing wrong, but also cost you big time `if you were violating any laws

It has become a electronic world 4-Sure....There's not escape (until there's a Power Outage) LOL....

Look forward to member's comments on this topic (Thanks)

 

Same where I work, cameras all over the place, mainly to watch for thieves not so much for the employees.