Maryland Will Begin Photographing Vehicles That Don't Use EZ Pass Toll System

Maryland will reportedly spend $183 million to make changes to the EZ Pass electronic toll collection system. Under the system, toll booths would be replaced by overpasses under which motorists could drive without slowing down. Sensors would deduct tolls from EZ Pass accounts, while cameras would photograph the license plates of vehicles without the electronic devices. Registered owners would receive bills for the tolls in the mail.

Currently, many who feel that EZ Pass systems are too privacy invasive elect to wait in the longer lines to pay with cash, where presumably no (or less) surveillance takes place. If I don't want the government or some billing agent to know where my car was a particular time, I can choose this (less efficient) means of navigating the tolls.

Now, with traffic cameras recording each car as it passes along the highway, digitally reading the license plate number, and comparing it to a database of names and addresses, the ability to protect myself from surveillance on the public roads becomes much more difficult.

[via Privacy.org]

Technorati tag: privacy