June 24, 2011 (Press-News.org) An app created by the Canadian based creators of Blackberry, Research In Motion, has recently been pulled off the company's online store after a formal request from four U.S. Senators.
Known as the "DUI app," it allows users to pinpoint the exact locations of local police checkpoints using GPS. The apps also locate traffic cameras and speed traps.
Web applications like these, however, are gaining widespread attention by law enforcement and legislative officials across the country.
Senators Harry Reid, D-Nevada; Charles Schumer, D-New York; Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey and Tom Udall, D-New Mexico collectively wrote a letter to the company asking that the app and others like it be removed from the company's online store because of the potential for users to evade law enforcement and the risk that drunk driving accidents could increase as a result of these programs.
During a hearing for the new Senate subcommittee on privacy in technology, Senator Schumer specifically argued that these apps "endanger public safety by allowing drunk drivers to avoid police checkpoints."
The letter did not name any app specifically but generally referred to a number of apps they felt were inappropriate. Some of the mentioned features in the letter included one app which had a database of all DUI checkpoints in real time and has over 10 million users.
The senators also asked RIM, Apple and Google to stop selling and distributing the app.
Apps Offer Other Helpful Services
While officials are quick to point out the so-called dangers associated with these Web applications, many of these apps provide services to users other than the location of a DUI checkpoint. Taxi finder features that allow you to find a quick cab and red-light cameras that help drivers from driving recklessly through lights are helpful facets that come with these apps.
Further, some say, the argument that these DUI apps allow users to evade law enforcement doesn't hold up.
During a hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on privacy and technology, Guy Tribble, Apple's vice President for Software Technology, made a good point. He said that law enforcement officials everywhere already make DUI checkpoint locations public. Whether it's via Facebook or other public domain, the Indiana Police Department, Cleveland Ohio Police and Los Angeles Police Department have all notified the public of particular DUI checkpoint locations in the past.
Future of DUI Apps
Last month, RIM is the only company that has complied with the senators' request and removed these applications from their online store.
Google and Apple have committed to responding to Congress on the issue of whether they have violated specific provisions of their terms of service.
Article provided by Rosenstein Law Group
Visit us at www.scottsdale-duilawyer.com
Senators Latest Target: Smartphone DUI Apps
A DUI app created by the Canadian based creators of Blackberry, Research In Motion, has recently been pulled off the company's online store after a formal request from four U.S. Senators. Web applications like these, however, are gaining widespread attention by law enforcement and legislative officials across the country.
2011-06-24
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Oxytocin promises hope in Prader-Willi syndrome
2011-06-24
Prader-Willi syndrome is a rare genetic disorder which affects one child in 25,000. Children born with this syndrome have a range of complex neurological and developmental problems which continue into adult life. These can manifest as cognitive and behavioral difficulties, weight gain, problems in controlling their temper and attendant difficulties in socialization. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, demonstrates that the hormone oxytocin is able to positively affect patients by improving trust, mood, and reducing ...
Synthetic collagen from maize has human properties
2011-06-24
Synthetic collagen has a wide range of applications in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery and in the food industry. For proper function in animals a certain number of prolines within the protein need to be hydroxylated. BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Biotechnology reports that for the first time the α1 chain of type 1 collagen has been produced in maize with similar levels of proline hydroxylation to human collagen.
Most collagen used is derived from animals but there are risks associated with this collagen containing infectious agents or being rejected ...
A thermometer for dinosaurs
2011-06-24
Small heads, large bodies, and a slow metabolism -- these are the characteristics that make us think of dinosaurs as dull, lethargic and cold-blooded giants. However, this image seems to be deceiving. These giant saurians that have been extinct for 65 million years may have been high-performance models of evolution. In cooperation with colleagues from the US, researchers from the University of Bonn have just determined that the body temperature of some large herbivorous dinosaurs was between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius. "Originally, dinosaurs were considered to have been ...
Discovering lost salmon at sea
2011-06-24
Where Atlantic salmon feed in the ocean has been a long-standing mystery, but new research led by the University of Southampton shows that marine location can be recovered from the chemistry of fish scales. Surprisingly, salmon from different British rivers migrate to feed in separate places, and may respond differently to environmental change.
Numbers of Atlantic salmon have declined across their range since the early 1970s, and most researchers believe that conditions experienced at sea are largely to blame. Unfortunately, identifying where salmon go to feed in the ...
Parenting Time Plans in Oregon
2011-06-24
Oregon law requires that a parenting time plan be included in all judgments where minor children are involved.
In Oregon, "parenting time" (called "visitation" in some states) is the scheduled time that each parent has with the children. The parenting time plan is a document that states when the children will be with each parent and how decisions will be made for the parties' children.
The amount of parenting time that each parent has with the children is not necessarily related to whether or not a parent has legal custody in Oregon. In Oregon, ...
Building a better math teacher
2011-06-24
For years, it has been assumed that teachers—specifically math teachers—need to master the content they intend to teach. And the best way to do this is to take courses beyond that content.
Yet in a paper published today in the Education Forum of the journal Science, Dr. Brent Davis of the University of Calgary says research does not support this common belief. There is little evidence that advanced courses in mathematics contribute to more effective teaching.
"You know that feeling, when you try to explain to a child how to add multi-digit numbers, and you realize that ...
Ghrelin likely involved in why we choose 'comfort foods' when stressed
2011-06-24
DALLAS – June 23, 2011 – We are one step closer to deciphering why some stressed people indulge in chocolate, mashed potatoes, ice cream and other high-calorie, high-fat comfort foods.
UT Southwestern Medical Center-led findings, in a mouse study, suggest that ghrelin – the so-called "hunger hormone" – is involved in triggering this reaction to high stress situations.
"This helps explain certain complex eating behaviors and may be one of the mechanisms by which obesity develops in people exposed to psychosocial stress," said Dr. Jeffrey Zigman, assistant professor ...
Ovenbirds eavesdrop on chipmunks to protect nests
2011-06-24
Ground-nesting birds face an uphill struggle to successfully rear their young, many eggs and fledglings falling prey to predators. Now, scientists from the USA have found that some birds eavesdrop on their enemies, using this information to find safer spots to build their nests. The study – one of the first of its kind – is published this week in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Animal Ecology.
Ovenbirds and veeries both build their nests on the ground, running the risk of losing their eggs or chicks to neighbouring chipmunks. Nesting birds use a range of cues ...
Quien es responsable cuando su hijo esta manejando el automovil que usted le presto y se ve involucrado en un accidente de transito en Nueva York?
2011-06-24
Es una historia de la que ningun padre quiere oir hablar, pero que, lamentablemente, todos hemos escuchado alguna vez. Supongamos que "Junior" pide prestado el coche y tiene un accidente. Puede ser que haya chocado simplemente contra un buzon o puede tratarse de algo mas serio. En el caso de accidentes que tengan como resultado lesiones, quien es responsable? "Junior", que solo tiene 16 anos? Sus padres? El propietario registrado del automovil?
Generalmente, de acuerdo con la ley de Vehiculos y Transito de Nueva York, cuando una persona se ve involucrada ...
Who goes there? Novel complex senses viral infection
2011-06-24
Double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses are a diverse group of viruses that include rotaviruses, a common cause of gastroenteritis. The ability of the immune system to detect and destroy viruses is critical for human health and survival. Now, a study published by Cell Press in the June 23rd issue of the journal Immunity identifies a novel sensor that is necessary to activate the immune response to viral infection. The research enhances our understanding of the complex and overlapping mechanisms our immune cells use to thwart infection.
Viruses are infectious agents composed ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained
Less intensive works best for agricultural soil
Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation
Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests
Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome
UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership
New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll
Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes
University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025
Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025
AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials
New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age
Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker
Chips off the old block
Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia
Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry
Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19
Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity
State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections
Young adults drive historic decline in smoking
NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research
Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development
This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack
FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology
In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity
Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects
A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions
AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate
Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative
Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine
[Press-News.org] Senators Latest Target: Smartphone DUI AppsA DUI app created by the Canadian based creators of Blackberry, Research In Motion, has recently been pulled off the company's online store after a formal request from four U.S. Senators. Web applications like these, however, are gaining widespread attention by law enforcement and legislative officials across the country.