Posted on 03/01/2012 11:24:20 AM PST by landsbaum
This is a new one on us: theres something called autonomous vehicles inching off the drawing board and onto the freeways.
These self-driving cars apparently are spawned by techies at Google, Caltech and other places. According to the L.A. Times, the cars use radar, video cameras and lasers to navigate roads and stay safe in traffic without human assistance.
Seems interesting. It couldnt but help that mad rush on the 57 we navigate every morning and evening.
But wait...
(Excerpt) Read more at orangepunch.ocregister.com ...
Absolutely-
Making it a mandate that all cars produced be ‘autonomous’ will be the next thing that comes up to the plate.
Imagine a world where to get into your car - you have to pay a toll, and the car won’t turn on unless the government says it’s ok. The government offers you free ‘autonomous cars’, ostensibly for public safety.
The government can now track where you go and when, and at no time are you free.
The government can pull you off the road at any time, turn off your car, shut it down. If you aren’t in control - who is?
However, current autonomous vehicles do not need any feedback to any outside grid or network. They are “passive” collectors of gps data and do not send data outside of their interior. They offer the potential to give a lot more privacy than they take, because they have the potential not to require a licensed driver.
Consider that you could go on the freeway for a 6 hour trip, and take a nap until you reach your destination or need to fuel up. The potential for saving manpower and increasing productivity is very large.
(Excerpt)
No, I'm not going to give you a hit.
Nice try at a teaser though. It's cute how you treat Free Republic as a hit farm.
It could be the next best thing for freedom before the air car.
Yeah, well I don’t want a ‘passive collector’ of GPS data anywhere near my vehicle. I don’t use GPS for anything. I use maps - and I can navigate just fine.
If it requires GPS to operate, then the government has access to the movements of everyone. This is a problem.
“Consider that you could go on the freeway for a 6 hour trip, and take a nap until you reach your destination or need to fuel up. The potential for saving manpower and increasing productivity is very large.”
I should write a science fiction story like Philip Dick to illustrate just why this is a bad idea.
Why do you think the government has access to data for anyone using GPS?
It does not.
GPS is a receiver. It does not transmit. The only way the government can get access to GPS data (outside of cell phones, which is another issue, and far more dangerous, in my opinion) is to take the GPS from you and remove the data.
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