Would this be the so called highway to hell
Toll records trip up philanderers By CHRIS NEWMARKER, Associated Press Writer
Fri Aug 10, 4:24 PM ET
TRENTON, N.J. - Adulterers, beware: Your cheatin' heart might be exposed by E-ZPass. E-ZPass and other electronic toll collection systems are emerging as a powerful means of proving infidelity. That's because when your spouse doesn't know where you've been, E-ZPass does.
"E-ZPass is an E-ZPass to go directly to divorce court, because it's an easy way to show you took the off-ramp to adultery," said Jacalyn Barnett, a New York divorce lawyer who has used E-ZPass records a few times.
Lynne Gold-Bikin, a Pennsylvania divorce lawyer, said E-ZPass helped prove a client's husband was being unfaithful: "He claimed he was in a business meeting in Pennsylvania. And I had records to show he went to New Jersey that night."
Generally mounted inside a vehicle's windshield behind the rearview mirror, E-ZPass devices communicate with antennas at toll plazas, automatically deducting money from the motorist's prepaid account.
Of the 12 states in the Northeast and Midwest that are part of the E-ZPass system, agencies in seven states provide electronic toll information in response to court orders in criminal and civil cases, including divorces, according to an Associated Press survey.
In four of the 12 states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, highway authorities release E-ZPass records only in criminal cases. West Virginia parkways authority has no policy. (Divorce attorneys in some cases can still obtain toll records from the other spouse rather than a highway agency.)
The Illinois Tollway, which hands over toll records, received more than 30 such subpoenas the first half of this year, with about half coming from civil cases, including divorces, according to Joelle McGinnis, an agency spokeswoman.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority said it turns down about 30 subpoenas in civil cases every year, about half of them divorces.
Electronic toll records have also proved useful in criminal cases.
They played a role in the murder case against Melanie McGuire, a New Jersey nurse convicted in April of killing her husband and tossing his cut-up remains into the Chesapeake Bay in three matching suitcases in 2004. Prosecutors used toll records to reconstruct her movements.
Davy Levy, a Chicago divorce lawyer for more than 30 years, said toll records from I-Pass (part of the E-ZPass system) are useful in catching a spouse in a lie.
"You bring up the I-Pass records and it destroys credibility," said Levy, who has used such records two or three times for such purposes.
The E-ZPass network covers about half the East Coast and part of the Midwest, with about 2 billion charges per year. That can mean a lot of records. One of the busiest toll plazas in New Jersey, the Garden State Parkway's southbound Raritan plaza, gets about 90,000 E-ZPass hits per day.
Some worry that using those records for other purposes is a violation of drivers' privacy.
"When you're marketed for this new convenience, you may not realize there are these types of costs," said Nicole Ozer of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.
Bob Barr, a former Republican congressman from Georgia turned Libertarian and privacy rights advocate, said people who want to protect their privacy shouldn't use electronic toll systems.
"People are foolish to buy into these systems without thinking, just because they want to save 20 seconds of time going through a toll booth," he said.
Fri Aug 10, 4:24 PM ET
TRENTON, N.J. - Adulterers, beware: Your cheatin' heart might be exposed by E-ZPass. E-ZPass and other electronic toll collection systems are emerging as a powerful means of proving infidelity. That's because when your spouse doesn't know where you've been, E-ZPass does.
"E-ZPass is an E-ZPass to go directly to divorce court, because it's an easy way to show you took the off-ramp to adultery," said Jacalyn Barnett, a New York divorce lawyer who has used E-ZPass records a few times.
Lynne Gold-Bikin, a Pennsylvania divorce lawyer, said E-ZPass helped prove a client's husband was being unfaithful: "He claimed he was in a business meeting in Pennsylvania. And I had records to show he went to New Jersey that night."
Generally mounted inside a vehicle's windshield behind the rearview mirror, E-ZPass devices communicate with antennas at toll plazas, automatically deducting money from the motorist's prepaid account.
Of the 12 states in the Northeast and Midwest that are part of the E-ZPass system, agencies in seven states provide electronic toll information in response to court orders in criminal and civil cases, including divorces, according to an Associated Press survey.
In four of the 12 states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, highway authorities release E-ZPass records only in criminal cases. West Virginia parkways authority has no policy. (Divorce attorneys in some cases can still obtain toll records from the other spouse rather than a highway agency.)
The Illinois Tollway, which hands over toll records, received more than 30 such subpoenas the first half of this year, with about half coming from civil cases, including divorces, according to Joelle McGinnis, an agency spokeswoman.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority said it turns down about 30 subpoenas in civil cases every year, about half of them divorces.
Electronic toll records have also proved useful in criminal cases.
They played a role in the murder case against Melanie McGuire, a New Jersey nurse convicted in April of killing her husband and tossing his cut-up remains into the Chesapeake Bay in three matching suitcases in 2004. Prosecutors used toll records to reconstruct her movements.
Davy Levy, a Chicago divorce lawyer for more than 30 years, said toll records from I-Pass (part of the E-ZPass system) are useful in catching a spouse in a lie.
"You bring up the I-Pass records and it destroys credibility," said Levy, who has used such records two or three times for such purposes.
The E-ZPass network covers about half the East Coast and part of the Midwest, with about 2 billion charges per year. That can mean a lot of records. One of the busiest toll plazas in New Jersey, the Garden State Parkway's southbound Raritan plaza, gets about 90,000 E-ZPass hits per day.
Some worry that using those records for other purposes is a violation of drivers' privacy.
"When you're marketed for this new convenience, you may not realize there are these types of costs," said Nicole Ozer of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.
Bob Barr, a former Republican congressman from Georgia turned Libertarian and privacy rights advocate, said people who want to protect their privacy shouldn't use electronic toll systems.
"People are foolish to buy into these systems without thinking, just because they want to save 20 seconds of time going through a toll booth," he said.
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Solution #1: Marry a dumb woman.[|)]
Solution #2: Do not screw around.[:D]0 -
solution #3 pay with cash...Loko[;)] 0 -
Yep, all out Technologies are outpacing most people's capabilities to comprehend them, and our Laws are getting sorely behind, too.
Already, there are cases of Cops tracking and using as evidence, the RFID chips that many retailers are including in every product. They get a call for a robbery from a retailer, and are looking for a car with Three copies of "The Best of Depeche Mode", and a copy of "Devo Covers Cher's Best" albums, along with a package of "Jolly Gobble Sugar Bombs" in it.
Further, most cars on the road right now have OBDII or newer Computer-controlled Fuel/Ignition/Accessory units in them. The Cops can literally "Dial up" your car, and the next time it passes over a road loop, they can either detect you and track you, or they can disable your car.
If the cops can do it.......
"Smart Cards", "Mobil Pass", Pets with chips, U.S. Passports, and much much more, can be queried and tracked without you knowing a thing about it.
"Club Cards" at Supermarkets, "Buyers' Cards", and many, if not most, Internet service providers have info gathering functions that report to someone, somewhere.
Many people have signed up for discounts on their Electric bills, offered to them in exchange for a "Load leveling" function that is run by the power utility - basically it keeps your A/C from running at the same time as others in your leg of the circuit, or in the same area...BUT - it can also be used to Shut You Down by others...
Bits is bits - if it can be used by one entity, it can be misused or used for a completely different purpose by someone not so benign to your interests.
Pay attention Folks!!!!0 -
If you want to know if your wife is faithful - why not just ask her?
... I, of course, never have had to.0 -
Truckers have known this for years. All our receipts, including electronic that the company get's records of, have to match our log books.
Of course the solution is to put the Pike Pass under your leg, which will block the signal and defeat it. And pay CASH at the Toll booth.0 -
Truly Orwellian. 0
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