| 2 April 2009. For immediate release. |
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"This nightmarish level of intrusion into people's private lives was something even George Orwell did not imagine. It is something the secret police of communist and fascist countries would have relished, so why is it being proposed for a supposedly 'free' Europe?"Officially known as the Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems (CVIS) project, the plan is being supported by some car manufacturers and some telecomms companies. Why some car manufacturers are aiding and abetting such government spying in these times of financial difficulties is unclear, it is certainly going to discourage anyone in their right mind from buying a new car. Involved telecomms companies will, as usual, simply want to make money with scant regard to the consequences to society, including their own shareholders, employees, and customers.
"We all read frequent stories in the press about the level of government competence regarding IT projects and the safekeeping of personal data. With this project being Europe-wide it will be a dozen times worse, and in these times of financial crisis only a fool or a fanatic would refuse to scrap the whole idea immediately."