You Can Be Watched

[Ogre]

Yet another reason to oppose Read ID (as if you needed another one):

Wisconsin court upholds GPS tracking by police

As the law currently stands, the court said police can mount GPS on cars to track people without violating their constitutional rights -- even if the drivers aren't suspects.

The tracking did not violate constitutional protections because the device only gave police information that could have been obtained through visual surveillance, Lundsten wrote.

Even though the device followed Sveum's car to private places, an officer tracking Sveum could have seen when his car entered or exited a garage, Lundsten reasoned.

Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, said the decision shows "GPS tracking is an effective means of protecting public safety."

In other words, based on this ruling, government can legally attach a GPS device to your state-issued (mandatory) ID card and use it to track your movements, simply because if there were enough police, one could have the job of personally following you around, even if you're not a suspect for anything. After all, its just for public safety, so how could you oppose it?

And beyond the privacy, you can be sure that if the device were discovered on the car and destroyed, the "non-suspect" would have been charged with all sorts of crimes like "interfering with an investigation," and "destruction of government property." What a joke we have for a "justice" system.

[MaineShark]

Well, to be technical, they can't attach a GPS to your ID card, because the technology to make a GPS that small doesn't exist.  And, if it did, there would be no way to power it (ie, any battery tiny enough would quickly be drained).

However, the things they can do are offensive enough (like sticking one to your car).

Wonder if they'd feel the same if we started tracking their cruisers?

Somehow, I think they might consider that a violation of their privacy...

Joe

[akmisrmaadi]

how did the midwest become such a shit hole of big government loving assholes? i think its the tradition of farm subsidies that softened them up. losers

[Ogre]

Wonder if they'd feel the same if we started tracking their cruisers?

Now THAT would be fun. I would love to have the funds to finance buying GPS devices for every police car in NH and linking them to a live, public web site...

[doobie]

However, the things they can do are offensive enough (like sticking one to your car).

Every few weeks I check my car for devices that look out of place.  I'd love to find one cuz I could use the electronics it contains.   

[littlehawk]

Ok who is going to invent GPS tracker scanners?

One wave over your car will tell you if it is bugged or not. Bink!

[bile]

I don't believe i've run across any GPS scanners but there are jammers. Check http://dealextreme.com

[doobie]

Ok who is going to invent GPS tracker scanners?

One wave over your car will tell you if it is bugged or not. Bink!

Well there are two likely ways they work:

1) They have to get physical access to it (unlikely you'll find it unless you look).
2) They use a cellular service to transmit data.  This may be hard to find as well as they probably don't do live tracking unless they really have the need and it could be hard to detect without getting everyone elses cell phone interference; though you can possibly detect the signal in a small local area.