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TECHNOLOGY Tuesday 16 May 2017

New York eyes ‘textalyzer’ to combat distracted driving

ANNA GRONEWOLD police need the owner’s
Associated Press consent and a warrant
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Ben to get cellphone records.
Lieberman just wanted to They’re also concerned
find out what may have such technology would
caused the head-on colli- be used to access all of
sion that killed his 19-year- the personal information
old son, Evan, on a high- people may have on their
way north of New York City. cellphones.
It took a lawsuit and six “Every fender bender
months in court to get the would become a pretense
cellphone records showing for gobbling up people’s
the driver of the car his son private cellphone informa-
was in had been texting tion, and we know that cell-
behind the wheel. phones typically contain
Lieberman doesn’t believe our entire lives,” said New
getting that information York Civil Liberties Union
should be so hard. Executive Director Donna
He’s channeling his grief Lieberman, who is no rela-
over the 2011 accident tion to Ben Lieberman.
into a proposal that would At least 46 states have laws
allow police at accident barring texting while driving
scenes in New York to im- and 14 ban all hand-held
mediately examine driv- devices, but some safety
ers’ cellphones with a de- advocates say more needs In this Wednesday, May 10, 2017 photo, Ben Lieberman sits for a portrait at his home in Chap-
paqua, N.Y.
vice to determine if they’d to be done to enforce the Associated Press
been tapping, swiping or laws. Deborah Hersman,
clicking. It’s been called a the CEO of the National ogy, which is about nine tailed information. they could get their license
Breathalyzer for texting. Safety Council and a sup- months away from being “For this device, the whole suspended. The idea is that
“You think people are al- porter of the “textalyzer” finished, sidesteps privacy purpose is not to get any a person implies consent
ready looking at phones legislation, noted that in concerns because it’s de- data,” said Jim Grady, the to drive without distrac-
and it just doesn’t hap- 2016, 40,000 people died signed only to determine chief executive officer of tions when they receive a
pen,” said Lieberman, who on the road, a 14 percent usage, not access data. Cellebrite USA. “So no, po- license, said Jay Shapiro,
is partnering with the Israel- jump from 2014 and the Company officials said the lice won’t be able to, un- a New York attorney and
based tech company Cel- biggest two-year jump in device would only be able less they rewrite our code.” former deputy district at-
lebrite to develop the plug- 50 years. to tell if someone physi- Under the bill, which has torney.
in device that’s been nick- “There can’t be a more cally clicked or swiped the been approved in one Sponsors say they expect
named the “textalyzer.” compelling reason than life phone during the time of Senate committee and is the Republican-led Sen-
The idea already faces ob- or death for saying why we the accident, and then in- pending in another, a per- ate to approve the bill, but
stacles from constitutional should have access to this vestigators could use that son would not be criminal- anticipate opposition from
and privacy advocates information,” Hersman said. to determine if they should ized for refusing to have the Democratic-led Assem-
who are quick to note that Cellebrite said its technol- get a warrant for more de- their phone checked, but bly. q

Waymo, Lyft to team up

on self-driving vehicles

NEW YORK (AP) — Waymo, best self-driving technol- provider in the country.
the self-driving car com- ogy.” Waymo sued Uber in Feb-
pany owned by Google’s The two plan to work to- ruary alleging that Uber
parent Alphabet Inc., and gether to bring autono- is using stolen self-driv-
Lyft Inc. are teaming up mous vehicles into the ing technology to build its
to road test autonomous mainstream with pilot proj- own fleet of autonomous
cars in a potential chal- ects and product devel- cars. On Saturday, a fed-
lenge to Uber Technolo- opment. eral judge gave a rare or-
gies Inc. Lyft is Uber’s biggest rival in der alerting prosecutors to In this Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, file photo, the Waymo driver-
In its statement, Lyft said the United States and the possible criminal miscon- less car is displayed during a Google event, in San Francisco.
Associated Press
Waymo holds “today’s second-largest ride-hailing duct by Uber.q