FOXNews.com - Politics - Privacy Experts Shun Black Boxes

FOXNews.com - Politics - Privacy Experts Shun Black Boxes

People are worried about the wrong things these days. What we should be worried about are insurance companies. These huge mega-corporations that control so much of our lives but answer to no one and dictate policy easier than changing channels on your tv.

For once I whole hearted agree with the naysayers that this technology will be perverted faster than a Jerry Springer episode by those same insurance companies. How easy would it be to have a data collection point set up to automatically download information about your driving? Things like speeding, seat belts, cell phone usage. Once this is done, your insurance rates would be automatically adjusted. The reason? Data collected from your black box says you speed way too much. And how much is too much? The insurance company decides. Any speed over 55 mph, and you're high risk. No seat belt, high risk. Talking on the cell phone is a distraction, so you are really high risk.

Think about how your toll tag works. Same thing. They could set up readers anywhere and everyday your information could be downloaded without your knowledge and used to determine your insurance rates.

And one step away would be to integrate GPS with this technology (which is already available and being used) so they can pinpoint exact locations of your violations so now law enforcement can issue citations based on this technology. Now we have two hands in the cookie jar. What an easy way to generate income. They could designate specific highways as dangerous and if you drive in them, your rates increase because you are in peril everyday!

Like I said, it's not Iraq, it's not Health care or Medicare, it's not even the election. Its insurance companies that have become more powerful than some nations. And once again, who do they answer to? The inmates are running the asylum. Don't think so? How can Insurance Company A make a profit of over 9 BILLION dollars and then declare a rate increase?

Maybe that should be my new venture, creating technology to counteract this. Kind of like Electronic Counter Measures for your car.