By Kenny Bob Tapp
If you’ve been on the outskirts of Boise City, Oklahoma recently you may have seen a white camper trailer with cameras and other devices attached. The trailer had the Oklahoma Highway Patrol logo on the side. I saw it on Highway 56 for a couple days and then saw it on South Highway 287.
The camper trailer is part of a test program by ODOT to detect how many trucks travel on our highways to see if perhaps a geo-fence could be placed around Boise City. Supposedly if a geo-fence were in place it could detect semi load weights and allow some freight traffic the luxury to avoid turning off to the Port of Entry for inspection.
What is Geo-Fencing?
From https://www.verizonconnect.com/glossary/what-is-a-geofence/
“A geofence is a virtual fence or perimeter around a physical location. Like a real fence, a geofence creates a separation between that location and the area around it. Unlike a real fence, it can also detect movement inside the virtual boundary.
It can be any size or shape, even a straight line between two points.
Geofences are created using mapping software, which allow the user to draw the geofence over the desired geographic area. It is made up of a collection of coordinates (i.e., latitude and longitude) or in the case of a circular geofence one point that forms the center.
Geofence use cases
When integrated with fleet management and telematics solutions, geofences can be used to alert you via text message in near real time if a vehicle or valuable piece of equipment with a GPS tracker attached is removed from your yard without your authorization. Or it could notify you if a drone enters a restricted airspace.”
While geo-fencing may serve as a convenience for freight companies, livestock haulers, etc., we must ask at what price? Though this technology may have its conveniences it could eventually be used for tracking and movement of everyone. We are definitely moving further into the time of Big Brother, A Brave New World.
Your inalienable rights enshrined in the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that protect your right to privacy and to be secure in your persons and papers are basically a thing of the past. May we be ever vigilant.
Tapp into Common Sense 