Law enforcement technologyApple cracks down on drunk driving evasion apps
At the urging of several U.S. senators, Apple recently announced that it would no longer sell apps that were designed to inform users about police checkpoints for drunk drivers; the senators lauded the move, but said that the company should also remove existing apps from its stores rather than just preventing new ones from going on sale; the senators were targeting apps like PhantomALERT which taps into a phone’s GPS device and alerts the driver of any active law enforcement zone including checkpoints, speed cameras, and speed traps
At the urging of several U.S. senators, Apple recently announced that it would no longer sell apps that were designed to inform users about police checkpoints for drunk drivers.
Three months ago Senators Chuck Schumer (D – New York), Harry Reid (D – Nevada), Frank Lautenberg (D- New Jersey), and Tom Udall (D- New Mexico) sent a letter to Google, Apple, and Research in Motion requesting that they discontinue sales of apps that help drivers circumvent police checkpoints.
The senators wrote, “We appreciate the technology that has allowed millions of Americans to have information at their fingertips, but giving drunk drivers a free tool to evade checkpoints, putting innocent families and children at risk, is a matter of public concern.”
Research in Motion, the manufacturer of BlackBerries, responded by immediately pulling the apps from its store, while Apple and Google did not act.
Last month, Senator Schumer pressed Apple representatives once more at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing to remove the apps.
In response, last Wednesday, Apple updated its guidelines for its App Store, stating, “Apps which contain DUI checkpoints that are not published by law enforcement agencies, or encourage and enable drunk driving, will be rejected.”
The senators lauded the move, but said that the company should also remove existing apps from its stores rather than just preventing new ones from going on sale.
“I strongly encourage Apple to take the next responsible step of removing all applications that allow unsafe drivers to evade police checkpoints,” Senator Reid said.
Senator Schumer added, “This victory will remain only half-won until the existing apps are removed from the store.”
The senators were targeting apps like PhantomALERT which taps into a phone’s GPS device and alerts the driver of any active law enforcement zone including checkpoints, speed cameras, and speed traps. The app can be purchased for $9.99 a month and works with any GPS enabled device.
Google has yet to act on the senator’s request.
