Page 3957 - Week 09 - Thursday, 25 August 2011
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Alan Evans from the NRMA came out specifically against the proposal for point-to-point cameras. On 22 September last year, he said in an ABC radio interview:
… the evidence is not there to say that these cameras stop road cashes …
Fixed speed cameras across the UK are being switched off due to the lack of evidence proving their effectiveness at cutting the road toll. The conservative government in the UK are delivering on their pledge to end the war on the motorist.
On privacy, this government has played down concerns. The government is saying that the information will only be stored for 30 days, but we all know that breaches of privacy do happen. As soon as the government has information, there is concern that it is going to be misused, and this government does not have a good track record when it comes to handling private information.
The minister has assured us that the information will be handled by sworn police officers, but he forgets to mention the other individuals and contractors that are involved in getting the data from the point-to-point devices to the police. Then, of course, there is also scope for human error and deliberate misuse.
I have confidence in the AFP’s capacity to use the RAPID system which is currently in operation. The police are used to using this kind of information under these kinds of operations, and they are also used to the sensitivity of privacy concerns. They also have sworn an oath, which is a significant commitment to undertaking the roles they have been trained to do.
These cameras have the potential for mass surveillance. Even the minister acknowledged this on radio this morning.
The forward design study on the point to point itself devoted a whole chapter to other uses of the technology and specifically mentions the potential for mass surveillance. That report states:
P2P systems also have the potential to be used for purposes other than enforcement of average speed offences, including:
fixed speed offences;
bus lane enforcement;
unregistered and uninsured vehicles;
unlicensed drivers;
providing traffic data to a Traffic Management Centre (TMC);
Road User pricing;
identifying vehicles associated with crime; and
mass surveillance.
The government is saying that this information is going to be used solely for road safety but it cannot deny that, over time, it can and will be used for things other than what it was originally intended for. No-one can ignore the fact that this information is useful to many. There are many in the private sector who would be very interested in
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