EU proposes car surveillance

If there's any doubt remaining that the European Union is an undemocratic, right-wing, authoritarian construct, this story should flush those doubts right out of your mind.

When I saw this story today, I thought it had to be some sick April Fools' Day joke. But nope. It's sadly real.

The EU is proposing a policy for new cars to carry a "communication box" to constantly transmit their whereabouts to authorities. EU leaders claim the box will help reduce highway accidents. Of course, they never explain how.

Privacy advocates are outraged - as we should all be.

The measure is backed by car makers and the telcom industry - who'll profit from it. The graft never ceases, does it?

Initially, the boxes wouldn't be mandatory in every car. But only the very naive wouldn't know that's where this is headed. Paul Kompfner, who manages the program, says he sees the EU making the boxes a requirement. In fact, there have been proposals in the United States to make similar devices obligatory.

I'd like to be able to say that mandatory boxes in cars would be illegal, but this is the EU we're talking about, where nobody seems to have any legally guaranteed rights - at least not in practice. This is the same EU that allows member countries to persecute people because of their religion, so human rights obviously aren't the priority they should be.

You can always count on the European Union to serve the corporate overlords.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/mar/31/surveillance-transport-communication-box)