MintPress

Police in the “Empire State” of New York have reportedly proposed the implementation of a new device that would be able to detect when drivers are using their cell phones. The device has become known as the “textalyzer,” and although it will not be ready for several months, New York drivers can likely expect to have their cell phone usage monitored to a degree that drivers have never experienced before.

According to the information released thus far, these devices will only be used when there is an accident, to determine who was actually responsible. If the device is only used for this purpose, then it may not pose a serious threat to privacy and may actually be a useful tool for dispute resolution. However, as we have seen with many government programs in the past, these excuses are used so we will initially accept the program, and then once the door is open the program can be used for more invasive spying.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo told the Associated Press on Wednesday that authorities were reviewing exactly how the device would be used. [MORE]