When Massachusetts officially turns on all-electric tolling in October, officials say drivers will be able to enjoy quicker travel times and reduced gasoline usage. But—with the increase in electronic tracking devices and traffic cameras—will drivers pay for it with their privacy?
"This is an instance where we can have technology and privacy too, but only if our laws keep pace with the technology," said Carol Rose, Executive Director of ACLU Massachusetts.
To do that, the legislature and the Department of Transportation should work together to make sure that the collection, storage, and access to toll data are carefully defined.
"We've been pushing for the Department of Transportation to actually make sure they have privacy protections in place," Rose continued. "Only collect the information you need, secure the information with encryption, limit internal access to it, require police to get a warrant unless there are emergencies, delete the data as soon as possible."
What's also important is that data collected for tolling is limited to just that. In seven states that currently use electronic toll collection, toll data is available for use in criminal and civil court cases—which means, for example, that a person's location based on E-ZPass swipes could be used in divorce court to determine whether or not adultery took place.
Rose said Massachusetts should be sure to head off issues related to 'mission creep' before they occur.
"If you're collecting data for the purposes of traffic, that's what you should collect it for and then you should delete the data," Rose said. "You then don't keep the database around and use it for 'mission creep' reasons."
To hear more from ACLU Massachusetts Executive Director Carol Rose, tune in to Boston Public Radio above.
