Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
TECHNOLOGY Monday 31 July 2017

New York eyes ‘textalyzer’ to bust drivers using phones

By DAVID KLEPPER “If you’re texting and driv-
Associated Press ing you’re breaking the
Eds: Updates with com- law and you’re risking
ments from drivers, father people’s lives,” she said
of crash victim, state Sena- during a lunchtime walk
tor. With AP Photos. in downtown Albany on
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Police Wednesday. “Why can’t
in New York state may soon you wait, or pull over, to
have a high-tech way of make that one call or read
catching texting drivers: a your texts?”
device known as a “texta- The committee will hear
lyzer” that allows an officer from supporters and oppo-
to quickly check if a phone nents of the technology,
has been in use before a law enforcement officials
crash. and legal experts before
Democratic Gov. Andrew issuing a report, Cuomo’s
Cuomo on Wednesday di- office said. Particular areas
rected the Governor’s Traf- of focus will include the
fic Safety Committee to ex- effectiveness of the tech-
amine the technology, as nology, constitutional and
well as the questions about legal issues as well as how
privacy and civil liberties its the device would be used
use would raise. in practice.
“Despite laws to ban cell- Sen. Terrence Murphy, a
phone use while driving, In this May 31, 2013 file photo, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference Westchester County Re-
some motorists still con- to announce the increase in penalties for texting while driving in New York publican, sponsored legis-
tinue to insist on texting Associated Press lation this year that would
behind the wheel — plac- have set out rules for the
ing themselves and others not access actual informa- rial, according to Rainey now a leading advocate use of the textalyzer. The
at substantial risk,” Cuomo tion on the phone, such as Reitman, of the Electronic for the textalyzer and has bill didn’t get a full vote,
said in a statement first re- pictures, personal emails or Frontier Foundation, a non- worked with Cellebrite on but Murphy said he be-
ported by The Associated web browsing history. profit organization that the project. He said he un- lieves it’s only a matter of
Press. “This review will ex- The “textalyzer” is still some advocates for civil liberties derstands concerns about time before New York and
amine the effectiveness months away from being when it comes to digital personal privacy but that other states adopt the
of using this new emerging ready, according to Cel- technology. they’re unfounded, not- technology.
technology to crack down lebrite, the Israel-based “I am extremely nervous ing that the device would “It’s not if, it’s when,” he
on this reckless behavior tech company developing about handling a cell- only tell police whether a said. “This will literally save
and thoroughly evaluate the device. phone to a law enforce- driver had been breaking lives.”Under Murphy’s bill,
its implications to ensure Digital privacy and civil lib- ment officer and allowing the law. a motorist who refuses to
we protect the safety and erties groups already have them in any way to foren- “A Breathalyzer doesn’t tell hand over their phone to
privacy of New Yorkers.” questioned whether the sically analyze it,” she said. you where you were drink- an officer could have their
The device is called the technology’s use would vi- “This is a technology that ing, or whether it was vodka license suspended.
“textalyzer” because of its olate personal privacy, not- is incredibly problematic or Jack Daniels — just that Twelve people were killed
similarity to the Breatha- ing that police can already and at the same time is you were drinking,” he said. and 2,784 were injured in
lyzer, which is used to iden- obtain search warrants if unnecessary. There are al- “This is the right balance cellphone-related crash-
tify drunk drivers. Once they believe information on ready legal avenues for a between public safety and es in New York state from
plugged into a person’s a private phone could be police officer.”Westchester privacy.”Count Emily Boed- 2011-2015, according to
phone for about a minute, useful in a prosecution. County resident Ben Lieber- igheimer as a supporter of figures from the Institute
it will indicate whether a Many security experts are man lost his 19-year-old son the idea. The Albany area for Traffic Safety Manage-
motorist was texting, email- skeptical when it comes to Evan to a fatal car crash resident said she’s fine with ment and Research. State
ing, surfing the web or promises that the textalyzer in 2011 and later discov- police using a textalyzer, statistics show 1.2 million
otherwise using his or her would only access informa- ered the driver of the car as long as there are rules tickets for cellphone vio-
cellphone before a serious tion about phone usage, his son was in had been about what police would lations were issued in that
crash. The textalyzer would and not personal mate- texting while driving. He’s be able to see. same time period.q