While the people of the world are getting used to being monitored on a daily basis, the question can be asked just what is legal vehicle tracking and where are the boundaries? The citizens of Britain certainly know what it is to be under surveillance with all the modern technology of today. However, if you work for a company and they have a fleet vehicle tracking system you may ask the question just how much do they need to know? The internet has taken away a modicum of privacy because you can find out information about anyone or anything with the movement of a mouse.
While the reasoning behind fleet vehicle tracking is to make the business more profitable by finding ways to conserve fuel and time, it may be time to ask the important questions of are they finding out too much information? A driver who has a company car feels that his privacy may be invaded if a tracking device is installed on his vehicle. While it is a company car he still pays hefty taxes on the car and he feels as if the company doesn’t trust him anymore.
The Data Protection Act was designed to protect the employee that is driving a vehicle with one of these tracking devices. There are rules that state that the employee must be made aware of the fact that the vehicle they will be driving will have a tracking device installed. Failure on the part of a manager to inform the employee could result in trouble for the company, for while they don’t need permission to do so the employee must know about it. There are ramifications if it is discovered that the company collected data they didn’t need. If asset tracking is not the only thing the fleet tracking device is to be used for then it is the manager’s duty to inform the employee. The (ICO) or Information Commissioner’s Office handles the investigation if an employee feels they have had their privacy invaded. The ICO also states that once the data has been used for its proposed purpose it should be deleted.
