ITS and Privacy Laws Overview
This online engineering PDH course discusses legal and political principles that should be taken into consideration in ITS design, from initial concept through implementation. Specific examples mentioned are automated enforcement of traffic laws (for example, red-light cameras), vehicle miles traveled taxes, electronic tolling systems, and electronic enforcement of graduated drivers licenses (intended especially for teenage drivers), and--dating to a period before the introduction of ITS--the civil-liberties issues arising from the government mandate of seat-belt ignition interlocks.
Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) project developers must be aware that once they collect personally-identifiable information (for example, vehicle location, vehicle movement, and occupants' identity) for use in an ITS application, law-enforcement agencies or parties engaged in civil litigation may want to use the information for their own, quite different purposes. "Collect the data and they will come" describes the situation. The danger for the ITS project is that use of the data by outsiders may generate a public backlash or possibly civil-liberties litigation that could cause the entire project to be cancelled.
This 2 PDH online course is intended for transportation engineers and ITS developers seeking knowledge of the legal framework that applies to emerging technology. The understanding of privacy both as a political concept and a legal protection provides the foundation for future ITS progress, allowing new technologies to be developed in ways that will gain public acceptance and avoid privacy or civil-liberties objections.
This PE continuing education course is intended to provide you with the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Understanding the principles and unresolved issues in current privacy law
- Understanding the distinction between anonymous and personally identifiable information
- Recognizing the need to obtain consent, when identifying information is collected
- Understanding the different access to information by public as opposed to private actors
- Understanding case studies regarding:
- seat belt ignition interlock
- occupant crash protection
- automated law enforcement
- electronic tolling
- graduated driver's license enforcement
In this professional engineering CEU course, you need to review the course document which is based on Report No. CTS 11-21, "ITS and Locational Privacy: Suggestions for Peaceful Coexistence," written by Frank Douma, Sarah Aue, and sponsored by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, October, 2011.
Upon successful completion of the quiz, print your Certificate of Completion instantly. (Note: if you are paying by check or money order, you will be able to print it after we receive your payment.) For your convenience, we will also email it to you. Please note that you can log in to your account at any time to access and print your Certificate of Completion.