The Association of British Drivers has issued a statement in which it condemns the EU's Galileo project -- a beefed-up version of the existing GPS system -- as heralding "the end of liberty in Europe". The missive comes as the first signals from the newly launched first satellites reach Earth.
In its statement, the ABD said that the €4 billion project is being sold to the public on the basis of better and cheaper satellite navigation, but that it also offers governments the promise of easier satellite tracking.
Because the signals from Galileo will be stronger than those from GPS -- although, stung by competition, the US military which funds GPS is responding with a similar system -- the receivers won't have to be so complex, bulky and battery-hungry. The devices can therefore be smaller, and will fit in a watch or phone.
The pitch is that such devices can be used to locate lost children, accidents and breakdowns, said the ADB, but the same technology can also be used by governments to track their citizen 24 hours a day. "There will be no escape from state surveillance. Privacy will be consigned to history," said the body.
More stealth taxes
The ABD said that its principal concern is that Galileo will be used to extort yet more stealth tax from drivers.
The ABD continued: "The EU is already planning to use Galileo to enforce continent-wide road tolling, and the car-hating British government wants to be first. You won't be able to drive anywhere without the EU knowing where you are going, who you are travelling with, and what speed you are travelling at. They will be able to charge whatever they want. One journey, four lapses of concentration that take you slightly over the speed limit, and you'll be banned from driving.
"Manufacturers will be forced by law to fit Galileo devices to all cars. You won't be able to start your car without one. You won't be able to drive anywhere without being spied upon and paying through the nose for the privilege."
ABD Chairman Brian Gregory said: "The ABD is not opposed to technology, far from it, the existing GPS system provides great benefits to drivers. Yet we are very concerned indeed that with the prevalence in Europe of anti-car ideology, and the use of terrorism as an excuse to reduce civil liberties, this technology will be abused like no other has ever been. Galileo is not a light on the horizon, it is the entrance to an abyss."
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