The Department of Transportation has announced a proposed rule to require eavesdropping equipment in 100 percent of all light vehicles sold in the United States -- one of the largest breaches of privacy in U.S. history, according to one conservative.
The proposed standard would require car manufacturers to install Event Data Recorders (EDRs), more commonly known as "black boxes" like those carried by aircraft, in all new cars and light trucks beginning Sept. 1, 2014.
Horace Cooper, adjunct fellow for The National Center for Public Policy research (NCPPR), condemns the Obama administration's decision to bypass Congress and implement its automobile "black box" mandate administratively.
"'He has given us 60 days, 30 of which will be consumed by the Christmas holidays." Cooper calls it a "breach of privacy" and maintains that "people have no business knowing which dry cleaning shop you go to. They have no business knowing whether or not you drink tea while you were in your car or you drink a product that needs to be cooled while you were in in your car. That's none of their business."
A similar proposal was killed by the House of Representatives last year when it was included in a Senate-passed bill to fund the nation's transportation needs.
"When it was presented as a law, the House of Representatives objected to it, said that it was not something that they could support," the adjunct fellow recalls. "We at The National Center have been claiming for some time that this was a bad idea, a solution in search of a problem."
Cooper warned about the Senate's passage of S. 1813 in August, calling the black box "creepy" and cautioning that it was "possibly coming soon to a new car near you."