Don't box me in.QA I thought I heard somewhere that there is a "black box" type device in some cars. First of ell, is this true? Second, will someone including the government, be able to track my personal history? --W. Diggs Via the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the Event data recorders An Event Data Recorder or EDR is a device installed in some automobiles and trucks to record information related to accidents. Information from these devices can be collected after a crash and analyzed to help determine what the vehicles were doing before, during and after (EDRs), commonly know as "black boxes," have indeed been installed in automobiles--including those from General Motors and Ford (among others)--since the early 1990s, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Vetronix Corp., (www.vetronix, com) one of the manufacturers of such devices. These devices were initially introduced as a safety measure, recording information such as vehicle and engine speed, brake and airbag status, and vehicle impact time in the event of a car crash. Although they have also proven useful to insurance companies and police officers investigating auto accidents, the devices have generated some controversy because of privacy concerns. However the devices record information immediately before (roughly five seconds) and after a crash and does not monitor driver behavior or history on an ongoing basis. Additionally, the information recorded belongs to you, and not the government or the auto dealer (although information has been introduced in court cases to prosecute To follow through; to commence and continue an action or judicial proceeding to its ultimate conclusion. To proceed against a defendant by charging that person with a crime and bringing him or her to trial. drivers accused of causing accidents or deaths). For a dst of automobiles that feature the Vetronix "black box," visit www .vetronix.com/diagnostics/cdr/vehicle _list.html. You can also contact your auto dealer to find out whether your car has such a device. Mail your technology questions to Cyberwise, BLACK ENTERPRISE 130 Fifth Ave AVE Avenue AVE Average AVE Alta Velocidad Espanola (train between Madrid and Seville) AVE Alta Velocidad Española (Spanish: High Speed Train) AVE Audio Video Entertainment AVE Advertising Value Equivalent . New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . NY 10011 or send an e-mail to donaldson@blackenterprise.com. |
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