Cell phone data tracing traffic in Md.
System 'watches' vehicles, raises fears about privacy
By Michael Dresser
Sun reporter
Originally published November 18, 2005
If you drive in metropolitan Baltimore and use a cellular phone, somebody might be "watching" as you come and go.
A Canadian company is monitoring the flow of vehicle traffic in the area by using an emerging technology that tracks the constant stream of data generated by drivers' cell phones as they communicate with towers in the network.
Maryland highway officials are excited. They plan to use the technology to help traffic move more smoothly. But privacy advocates worry that the system could lead to bigger headaches than a Beltway backup.
In a few years, researchers say, the program could take a big bite out of congestion on the nation's roads by quickly delivering alerts on road conditions directly to drivers.
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