A U.S. government- and industry-led coalition aiming to equip every car and roadside in America with wirelessly connected computers has tapped GNU/Linux for a prototype design. The Vehicle Infrastructure Integration Consortium (VII-C) hopes to lower driver death rates, reduce traffic jams, and media-enable cars before 2017.
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rms
16 years 46 weeks 1 day 23 hours ago
I suspect that part of this plan
I suspect that part of this plan is that Big Brother will know where every car is, all the time. Who cares if they use
the GNU/Linux system for this? It's a threat to our freedom, and we have to start fighting it now.
dave
16 years 46 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago
I think you are probably right.
I think you are probably right. While, it would be possible to implement a system that allows vehicle and roadside computers to communicate without sharing personal information, I'm sure the government and, in particular, law enforcement agencies will be very keen to use this technology to locate and track the vehicles of known/wanted/suspected criminals. It may even be used to give you e-parking and speeding tickets.
So, while it may be be a win for GNU/Linux - and automobile and road safety - if this technology's implementation and usage is not carefully scrutinised and legislated, then it may well be a loss for our personal freedom.
However, if they are going to do it anyway - and unless you can somehow work a clause preventing use of GNU/Linux to prevent freedom in this way into the GPLv4 :) - I'm glad they're choosing GNU/Linux. Can you imagine a system based on Windows! The system "crashing" would have whole new level of "impact". :)