I’ve been reading many of the Galileo reports and wondering where the privacy advocates are. For example this BBC report suggests all the amazing things that will come about when your every move in a vehicle can be pinpointed. I understand why some would argue that they should be able to pay more for faster routes, even if I disagree, and I can even get behind the suggestion that emergency services may be more effective with more accurate location data. But what about privacy? If you opt-in are you agreeing to give up any critical rights (like beverage marketing companies can buy your data and then send you spam/ads because you spent 10 minutes parked outside the MoonCoin coffee shop)? And can you opt-out temporarily to have different levels of exposure, or just to leave the “mapped” world, like the opening scene in the movie Until the End of the World?

This seems like a rather naive statement:

Drivers would use a small keyboard to enter certain parameters at the beginning of a journey, such as how many passengers were on a coach, or whether a lorry was carrying hazardous chemicals.

This from the country that tried to tax people based on the number of windows in their house and then found everyone bricking up the windows? Something tells me that it will not be sufficient to expect people to self-report if there is any doubt about risk, such as taxes or fees. In other words, the average driver will do what anyone might and say “what’s in it for me” even if they are told it is the proper practice.

This is a much more logical take on the uncertainties ahead:

It’s fine having a company process all the data from each country and tell you how much you owe; but if you get a bill for a road you haven’t driven on at a time of day you weren’t there, what’s the recourse for getting your money back?

Indeed.