Chris Christie, Port Authority Official Abused E-ZPass Data For Their Own Ends
from the just-some-harmless-toll-data,-right? dept
What data is harmless in the hands of the government? Apparently, not much. Case in point: the data collected by E-ZPass transponders. While the system helps alleviate traffic congestion, it also tracks drivers' movements. If you thought it just triggered toll payments, you're drastically underestimating the government's desire for data.
Back in 2013, Mike covered one NYC driver's experience with his E-ZPass device, finding it was triggered all over the city -- not just on toll roads. The company claimed the signal was scrambled and travel data collected in aggregate. Whether or not that remains true is open for debate, but even the data collected where drivers are expecting data collection can be revealing. E-ZPass data has been used in divorce cases to prove a spouse's whereabouts as well as against a city official, who falsified time sheets.
It's also been used in political fights to disparage opponents. The IBTimes reports that two New Jersey government officials obtained Senator Frank Lautenberg's EZPass records and used them as political fodder in a battle over toll increases.
"Respectfully, Senator, you only started paying tolls recently," [Port Authority Deputy Chief Bill] Baroni said, according to a transcript of the exchange. "In fact, I have a copy of your free E-ZPass," he continued, holding up a physical copy of the toll pass Lautenberg had received as a benefit from his tenure as a Port Authority commissioner. "You took 284 trips for free in the last 2 years you had a pass."Governor Chris Christie himself disclosed further information about Lautenberg's driving habits.
At a press conference, he alleged that the senator didn't "pay for parking at Port Authority facilities" and said Lautenberg went "through the tunnel to New York three or four times a week in 2005 and 2006."Obviously, this is an abuse of government-collected data. Bill Baroni admitted during the 2013 Bridgegate scandal investigation that he possessed driving data on those interrogating him. To add insult to injury, the governor's office claimed it had no records on Lautenberg's driving habits in response to IBTimes' 2012 open records request -- the same records he used to criticize Lautenberg in an earlier press conference.
I find it interesting, too, by the way, in 2005 and 2006, that he went over the Hudson River 284 times. Where was he going?... I think he needs to answer that. 'Cause he's supposed to be the senator from New Jersey. So what's he doing going over the bridge or through the tunnel to New York three or four times a week for 2005 and 2006?... Did he ever spend any time in New Jersey?
The ACLU points out that not only is this a misuse of private records, but this sort of situation is completely avoidable.
EZ Pass and other electronic toll booth systems should have the option for anonymous use, where money on the devices is treated like cash, for users who prefer privacy to the convenience of having named accounts. A driver, in other words, should be able to buy a transponder for cash, and use cash to store and re-load value on it. The Washington DC Metro system, for example, offers this option for users of its contactless transit passes.Obviously, whatever protections the state of New Jersey affords these data are inadequate. Sure, driving in public isn't necessarily private, but the use of travel data to attack political opponents is still an abuse of state-collected data. Supposedly, the data is exempt from public record laws, which locks citizens out of acquiring the data without a subpoena. But nothing's stopping the Port Authority from using it for its own political ends and passing it on to the governor to do the same.
Driving on public roads may not be private, but there's a lot that can be ascertained about a person simply by looking at this data -- information that could only otherwise be acquired by nonstop physical "tailing." When collected and stored, it runs the risk of being abused. The Port Authority already grants police open access to the records (limited only to "purposes of discharging their duties," whatever that actually means in practice) and has shown its willingness to puts its self-interest ahead of state law when it comes to disseminating this information. Better policies and practices are in order, and Governor Chris Christie should be waist deep in investigators (a belated call for a DOJ investigation of Christie and Baroni has been issued by NJ Congressman Frank Palone) rather than considering a 2016 presidential run.
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Filed Under: bill baroni, chris christie, e-zpass, frank lautenberg, new jersey, politics, privacy, spying
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Who cares? Maybe he was dating some chick? Or there's a restaurant he likes to visit there? His old grandma lives there? He appreciates going through the goddamn bridge? You may question the fact that he didn't pay but why he crossed the bridge or where he was going? It's none of your business.
And they say metadata is harmless. It's freaking open to interpretation because only the driver knows why he drove to a place and why he used a determined route. With enough imagination and some cross reference from law enforcement you can probably associate anybody with some meth dealer.
Next time you hear that ask the idiot proposing it to share the entirety of his metadata. I bet my balls none of the surveillance-happy crew will hand it all.
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I started reading ibtimes.com because of this (and quit reading Pando), Sirota is one of the few old school, pit bull journalists left with a job.
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Some Broader Context
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Re: Some Broader Context
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I told you so...
Forget internet rule 34. Formulate rule 666 - ANY data, however collected and safeguarded, will eventually cause trouble.
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Re: I told you so...
My circle of friends would criticize you for having an EZ pass.
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I cannot understand how we got here
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Re: I cannot understand how we got here
its shiny and it sparkles, much more fun than saving our collective lives... that's h-a-r-d...
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Re: Re: I cannot understand how we got here
that's how we got here.
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the horror of rental cars
Besides the obvious privacy issues, another big problem is that going through the cash payment lines in highway toll stations and paying with cash will still trigger the device and therefore force you to pay the same toll a second time.
Then you must go through the hassle of trying to get your money back for the toll payments that were automatically charged to your account at the same time you were dropping quarters in the basket, and then trying in vain to prove you already paid in cash without having any receipts to show as evidence (because those cash-drop toll booths don't give receipts).
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not tracked
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Re: not tracked
Step 2. Mail it somewhere.
Step 3-n. Mail it again & again.
Step n+1. Subpoena/FOIA the EZPass records.
Note that every time the UPX/Fedex truck passes an EZPass sensor, it will get triggered.
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So why was governor Chris Christie in Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' box during the playoffs? I think he needs to answer that 'cause he's supposed to be the governor of New Jersey.
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1. We know where a persons going to be , via a few years worth of data
2. which days he/she traveled.
3. Approximate time frames.
4. Amount of time spent In that area.
Lets set -up our kidnapping/rape/murder.
I'm sure we could obtain cell location data.
/joke just in case anyone thinks i'm serious.
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What's wrong with this country?
How can anyone in the U.S.A. nowadays can hope to gain votes with this kind of tripe?
How can any voter react in any manner but "I don't need to know why your opponent went over the Hudson 284 times. I just need to know that you'll leave over the Hudson because we have voted you out of your office. Actually preferably on your way to prison because you boasted violating the Fourth Amendment."
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Re: What's wrong with this country?
While it would be nice if the public at large had some self-respect, and was actually offended by blatant lawbreaking and contempt for the constitution, more often than not the guilty party can spin that for them('Do you want criminals to get away with their crimes? Only criminals would object to the proposed changes to the law meant to catch them!'), and gain votes because of it.
It's beyond easy to slam someone who dares to defend the rights of the public, as no-one wants to be on the side of 'criminals', and since anything that hampers the government and/or police(like those pesky 'laws' and 'rights') is clearly designed for no other purpose than aiding criminals, it follows that to oppose anything that the government or police does, is to be in favor of criminals(according to idiot voter/politicians/police logic anyway).
So clearly, defending the Constitutional rights of the public is nothing short of showing complete support for criminals, and anyone who claims otherwise is just trying to hide their support for lawbreakers. /poe
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>transponder for cash, and use cash to store and re-load
>value on it. The Washington DC Metro system, for example,
>offers this option for users of its contactless transit
>passes.
Paying cash would not help you not be tracked in DC. Each of those cards are tied to a unique ID. They have to be to track which station you enter and leave so they can bill the account appropriately. There are cameras everywhere in the Metro System. It wouldn't take much to link a cash customer to a card from camera data and travel patterns.
You might stand a better chance in NYC where the cards expire and you need to get new ones every so often.
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Tracking by design
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Yes yes yes!
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Graft is unacceptable too
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as a matter of coincidence
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I guess I'm in the minority here.
I have no problem with this. As long as it wasn't an EZ Pass he paid for himself.
Calm down everyone and loosen the tinfoil a bit. ;)
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Re: I guess I'm in the minority here.
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I don't see why the record detail should be public information. If a 'comp'ed EZPass is a issued to commissioners, and there isn't a restriction on its use (e.g. "for official use only" or "only for Port Authority business"), then there isn't a reason to make anything but the total use public information.
From the level of detail revealed, it's clear that whoever was searching the records was looking for dirt to use politically -- which puts this firmly into abuse of privacy.
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Re:
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It's sad when you have to break the law in order to have any privacy. People can't even ride Amtrak without showing ID. If you want legal privacy, you either have to walk or ride a bike. Maybe you can still take a bus without providing ID, I dunno.
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I would have never thought of such ideas, if not for my privacy being violated on a daily basis. I have no desire to commit crimes. Other than the crime of protecting my privacy.
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Re:
The main problem seems to be that these materials are default opaque, going clear only with an electric current. Defaulting to "privacy" during a power interruption is good for, say, the windows of a house. Not so good for a license plate cover.
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Re: Re:
If you have a power interruption in your car, it's unlikely you'll be driving it anywhere anyway.
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Re:
This guy invented a license plate holder that detects a red light camera flash and floods the license plate with light to overexpose the picture. Probably wouldn't work for plate readers since I don't think they need a flash.
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