[blu] Re: OT: Open source voting machines and other gizmos (was Re: Comcast and SORBS)

[dan at geer.org]

>   You're missing the point.  When I go through a toll
>   booth with the transponder, the govermnent knows
>   where I am.  They can also keep records (which they
>   do) and can use them to build a profile of my travel
>   habits if they choose to.  THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.


For the purposes of ensuring payment for the
tolls, it is of course possible to make these
records short term.  For example, if paid by
credit card then holding the records ninety (90)
days is sufficient in that one cannot dispute
a charge after ninety days.  Hence the records
could be destroyed at the end of ninety days
without endangering in any way that the State
got its money.  [ This would be much like the
corporate settings where email is deleted at
the ninety-day mark as a precaution against
unwanted discovery motions in future court
cases. ]

However, the New Jersey Legislature required
EZ Pass to keep such records for ten years as a
condition of licensure.  This was passed explicitly
as an aid to law enforcement.  Since EZ Pass is
one and the same as FastLane, and since having a
uniform procedure back at Data Central is cheaper
than jurisdiction-specific procedures, one must
assume that toll records are kept for ten years
regardless of the location of the toll collection
point.  As we have not yet had EZ Pass in operation
for a decade, it seems conservative to assume that
until records are destroyed at the ten year mark
that the effective retention period is in fact
"indefinite."

If one wanted a more direct freedom v. safety
example I cannot think what it would be, and
for extra measure money is involved.  If I had
a radio talk show I'd have some fun with this...

--dan