GPS Tracking Systems
When I was home last week there were a few articles about the use of GPS in town trucks on Long Island. The thought behind them was that they would prevent workers from breaking laws/rules because they know that the town is watching and punish those that do break any laws or rules. Another major benefit that the town is hoping for is avoiding false accusations from people who feel that a town truck was in an accident or damaged something, because they would be able to know where all of their vehicles were. During emergencies such as snowstorms and huricanes the town would also be able to quickly know where all of their trucks are.
The GPS system is not fool proof. In Baltimore, "At a recent meeting, Transportation Commissioner Alfred Foxx was upbraided for allowing a bucket truck to stay idle for 156 days. A closer investigation revealed that the truck's GPS unit had simply malfunctioned, and continuously broadcast the same location for five months (GPS useful but not foolproof)." Problems can also occur with the GPS system when they are tracking employees who are on a lunch break and they are allowed to use their vehicles and go where ever they are. Problems could arise if the company or government agency sees that you are going to certain stores or a Planned Parenting center and may ask if you are pregnant. It could also be a problem if they see what you are eating and are worried about health premiums. (The Naked Employee, Fredrick S. Lane III)
The GPS system is not fool proof. In Baltimore, "At a recent meeting, Transportation Commissioner Alfred Foxx was upbraided for allowing a bucket truck to stay idle for 156 days. A closer investigation revealed that the truck's GPS unit had simply malfunctioned, and continuously broadcast the same location for five months (GPS useful but not foolproof)." Problems can also occur with the GPS system when they are tracking employees who are on a lunch break and they are allowed to use their vehicles and go where ever they are. Problems could arise if the company or government agency sees that you are going to certain stores or a Planned Parenting center and may ask if you are pregnant. It could also be a problem if they see what you are eating and are worried about health premiums. (The Naked Employee, Fredrick S. Lane III)
City officials in Baltimore said they've seen good, if imperfect, results from the GPS units installed in Department of Transportation trucks last year. But they said workers balked when the devices first went online...
Workers object to Babylon's tracking system
When the Town of Babylon installed global positioning system technology in
most of its fleet of 250 vehicles in January, officials touted it as a way to
improve efficiency, particularly during emergencies such as snowstorms. However,
the system also is being used to monitor worker behavior -- a realization that
has left town .employees increasingly nervous...
(Newsday - Long Island, New York)
posted by Anonymous at
6:28 PM
1 Comments:
This GPS system in department of transpiration vehicles doesn’t bother me at all (and not just because I am not driving one of them). I feel this way because it seems exactly like all of the other employee monitoring situations out there. How is GPS on these vehicles any different from a company monitoring everything that an office employee does on the internet? From checking their URL history to scanning through emails, isn’t that an invasion of privacy that ultimately is supposed to just help the company (or city)?
Truth is, with all the technological advances that are present in our society today this type of employee monitoring is inevitable. It also makes perfect sense because these employees are being paid to do their job and if they are not than they should be punished, its as easy as that.
As far as monitoring you on your lunch break, just don’t do anything you wouldn’t want them to know about during that time. If you have to go to Planned Parenthood, wait until you are off work and in your own vehicle to do that. I see no real reason why you should do that during your lunch hour anyway.
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