Citizens protest against RFID motor vehicle tracking
A Philippine militant group, Piston, in Quezon City have expressed its dissatisfaction with the Land Transportation Office’s new way of tracking vehicle registration with the use of RFID technology.
According to BussinessWorld Online, citizens and even government officials, have their own opinion on why the system is being pushed so heavily. Some feel that the project is merely a fund-raiser for the upcoming elections, while others believe it to be a way for the government to track their every move.
The project, which took effect despite pending petitions before the Supreme Court, will require all vehicle owners to pay a one-time fee for an electronic RFID tag. The tag will contain information on the vehicle, for example make, model, color, year, and the date of last registration. Officials state the tags are useful in detecting stolen or unregistered vehicles.
The project was originally set to take effect last October – but due to opposition from stakeholders, who felt privacy rights were being violated, the plan was pushed back to January 2010.
One government official went on to state that even if the Supreme Court ousts the RFID system, those who have already purchased the tag will likely not receive a refund.
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