Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Google Traffic- IMSI and Liability

Follow on to the previous post.

Imagine this scenario:

Raw cell phone tower data that records a unique cell phone IMSI for the purpose of anonymizing it and selling it to Google for real time input to Google traffic also identifies the IMSI of cell phones in vehicles exceeding 80 mph for a given period of time or whatever the state would otherwise fine for speeding.

On an exception basis the IMSI is retained and becomes the legal basis for automatic fine when the speed is maintained for a period exceeding a specified amount of time.

Result:  Automatic speeding citation!  No need for a highway patrol to catch speeders.  Saves pubic money!

What if the algorithm detects sudden deceleration of the speeding vehicle as well as another vehicle IMSI at the same geolocation?  It would seem that the burden of liability would be on the speeding vehicle?  Reasonable?  If speeding is generally considered dangerous and correlates with accident rates?

Proof of liability in a court case?

Just how factual is the information?

How accurate is the data?

Reason for retention of exception information (IMSI travelling over 90 MPH) for a given period of time for the purpose of investigating traffic accidents?

Here is another angle on info retention:  When any two vehicles being tracked by IMSI for traffic monitoring purposes suddenly decelerate to zero the IMSI tracking history is locked for both vehicles to determine prior geolocation for forensic evidence.  Was the prior location a site that served alcohol?  This is all done in real time.  It only takes recording and retaining IMSI for 24 hours before it is dumped.

Exactly to what extent does Google Traffic monitor all traffic on all roads?  That is a big load of data!

While IMSI is associated with mobile cell phones now, it will be increasingly associated with other things on the Internet of Things.  A cell phone IMSI is not proof of presence of the person owning the cell phone (unless there is a biometric log in by the user at point of sale or fingerprint password).  However, when dongles attached to a vehicle computer such as the Progressive Insurance Dongle transmit vehicle information to a receiver it identifies a specific unique vehicle.  The only thing needed to establish who is driving is a biometric key to start and operate the vehicle.  Perhaps it could be associated to a smart biometric driver's license?




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