Legislators in New York are considering the introduction of ‘textalyzers,’ which will determine whether a driver was using their mobile phone before a car crash.
New York officials recently revealed an 840% increase in fines for drivers who had been caught texting while driving.
The data extraction firm Celebrite are reportedly developing technology that could be used to determine whether a driver had been using their phone at the time of a crash.
According to Cellebrite, the technology will “extract and decode mobile device data such as call logs, contacts, calendar, text messages, media files and more.”
However, in order for the technology not to breach the Fourth Amendment right to privacy, the company must ensure that it only extracts information surrounding the times of network activity and not logging the contents of messages or the numbers called.
The change will undoubtedly have an impact on the way car accidents are reviewed, both by police and insurance companies.
The New York Senate Transportation committee are currently considering the legislation. If passed, it will be the first of its kind.
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