Oregon tests tracking system for emissions violators

First it was a government-funded pilot program using GPS to track a car's mileage (in order to test the viability of replacing gas taxes with road-usage taxes). Now Oregon is showing that it's once more at the cutting edge of managing autos and minimizing privacy with a $39 transponder box that can be hooked up to a car's onboard diagnostic system and check to make sure the car is adhering to state emission standards. If standards violations are caught, the transponder can silently send a signal to roadside receivers, and the driver will get a ticket. Of course, given that Oregonians have a 97% pass rate when it comes to emissions inspections, some are already raising the idea that the state will use the transponder for other purposes, such as tracking speeders. But the government insists it has no such plans. And we'll take their word for it, right?

[Via The Newspaper]