A Greater Toll than You Know

It would seem that our discussion of civil rights and E-ZPass toll booths was not far fetched:

Generally mounted inside a vehicle's windshield behind the rearview mirror, E-ZPass devices communicate with antennas at toll plazas, automatically deducting money from the motorist's prepaid account.

Of the 12 states in the Northeast and Midwest that are part of the E-ZPass system, agencies in seven states provide electronic toll information in response to court orders in criminal and civil cases, including divorces, according to an Associated Press survey. ...

"You bring up the I-Pass records [in court] and it destroys credibility," said Levy, who has used such records two or three times for such purposes.

There remains a certain appeal to the argument that those who don't do things for which they don't want to get caught have nothing to fear. But again, the range of things for which it is advisable not to get caught can shift. Somewhere down the road, the lawyer may ask you: "So just where were you heading across the Newport Bridge on May 21st if not to make a donation of time by attending an event on behalf of that upstart candidate?"