Senators urge phonemakers to ban DUI checkpoint apps, Blackberry first to comply
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/safety/" rel="tag">Safety</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/tech/" rel="tag">Technology</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/23/senators-urge-phonemakers-to-ban-dui-checkpoint-apps-blackberry/#continued"><img alt="Blackberry DUI" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/blackberry-dui-630.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px 0px;" /></a><br />
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A group of Senators have sent letters to the largest smartphone manufacturers demanding the removal of applications that alert drivers of DUI checkpoints. And Research in Motion (<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/RIM/">RIM</a>), the Canadian company that produces the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/Blackberry/">Blackberry</a>, was the first to comply.<br />
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The letter (available <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/23/senators-urge-phonemakers-to-ban-dui-checkpoint-apps-blackberry/#continued">after the jump</a>) sent by Senators Harry Reid, (D-NV), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Tom Udall (D-NM) landed in the inboxes of Scott Forstall, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/Apple/">Apple</a>'s Senior VP of <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/iPhone/">iPhone</a> Software, as well as Eric Schmidt, current head of <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/Google/">Google</a> and a senior executive at RIM. And the reason behind the removal was clear.<br />
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Nearly half of all vehicle fatalities in the U.S. involve a DUI or DWI, and several apps available through the Apple App Store, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/Android/">Android</a> Market and RIM's AppWorld alerts users of upcoming checkpoints, be it through crowd-sourced or using a pre-programmed and constantly updating database. The biggest culprit, according to the Senators, is PhantomALERT, which touts itself as "the world's largest driver generated and verified database of speed traps, red light cameras, speed cameras, school zones, DUI checkpoints, dangerous intersections and more across North America."<br />
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Neither Apple or Google - the crew behind the open-source Android mobile OS - have responded at this time, but with RIM already pulling the plug, there's a good possibility - particularly given Apple's tight control of apps - that each company could follow suit.<br />
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While the rationale behind the proposed removal is obvious, inevitably the debate about how apps play into freedom of speech and the broad brush in which other apps - like <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/Trapster/">Trapster</a> - have been caught up in the mix means a quick resolution is far off.<br />
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[Source: Senator's offices, <a href="http://detnews.com/article/20110323/AUTO01/103230429/1148/rss25">Detroit News</a>, RIM]<p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/23/senators-urge-phonemakers-to-ban-dui-checkpoint-apps-blackberry/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Senators urge phonemakers to ban DUI checkpoint apps, Blackberry first to comply</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/23/senators-urge-phonemakers-to-ban-dui-checkpoint-apps-blackberry/">Senators urge phonemakers to ban DUI checkpoint apps, Blackberry first to comply</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/23/senators-urge-phonemakers-to-ban-dui-checkpoint-apps-blackberry/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19889823/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/23/senators-urge-phonemakers-to-ban-dui-checkpoint-apps-blackberry/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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