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U.S. Senators Ask Apple to Remove DUI Checkpoint Apps From App Store

Sounds like a lot of the fools on this site don't even know what this app is.

IT ISN'T JUST FOR DUI CHECKPOINTS!!!!!

Can't they just remove the DUI checkpoint feature and leave the speed traps? I don't condone drunk driving AT ALL but I'd still like to know where speed traps are.

Oh well, if it is removed you can still jailbreak the device and run anything you want to.
 
Ca$hflow said:
I seriously doubt that a drunk would be able able to operate the phone a little lone running the app, pinching to zoom, etc.
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The legal limits in the US are far below the condition you reference. Depending on weight, stomach contents, metabolism, etc, something as little as one drink is enough to get some arrested.

There is a TV campaign running in recent months: "Buzzed driving IS drunk driving. Over the limit; under arrest." Someone who is buzzed, even to the lowest point that that they don't recognize it, can easily operate a phone, but still face criminal charges because of that magic number displayed on the breathalyzer.
 
sishaw said:
You (and I) also have a right not to be t-boned by some drunk in an intersection (which almost happened to me once--luckily, I saw him coming in time). Hence the checkpoints.

Really, how often do you get stopped at a DUI checkpoint? It's happened to me about twice in my life. Not a huge price to pay for safer roads.

I would be in favor of Apple removing these apps that promote unsafe driving. However, I admit that I am uncomfortable with the Senate getting involved. Having a government step in to restrict private content is troublesome, I would agree.
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Not taking sides here as I see merit on both sides but I find it odd that in this country the existence of check points themselves isn't what is being attacked by the pro app side.
 
unlinked said:
The American constitutional fetish does seem very strange to me as a non American. Americans (or a significant subset there of) seem to think each and every right is distinct and absolute and ignore how they interact. People are way too boxed in by the existing constitution and unwilling to consider the possibility it should be changed. That is why every argument about gun regulation hangs on parsing the second amendment instead of an open discussion of what would be best for the people/country. It is almost like the constitution is some sort of unchanging secular bible instead of a living document crafted by and for the people.

Anyhow,different countries are different. To each his own.
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The worst part though, is 90% of th time when my fellow Americans squawk about constitutional rights they are misapplying them. Our constitution specifically guides the interaction between our government and our citizens not out citizens with each other.

The senators politely requesing these companies do this is not a constitutional issue, and the constitution does not apply to Apple in terms of having to allow people to publish / provide this information.

When one citizen tells another citizen, "You can't squash my right to free speech" they are 100% wrong.
 
I didn't read the whole article, but did they send letters to the software developers too? Seems to me, Apple approved an otherwise legal app, albeit one in a gray area, but legal.

Distracted/impaired drivers are dangerous to us all on the public byways.
 
Its censorship until your entire family is killed by a drunk driver who has been convicted of this offense 5 times.

This country has never been serious about severely punishing people who commit this extremely dangerous and irresponsible act.

I have always wondered why licenses to operate a motor vehicle and even the right to own one is not revoked for life, in addition to any institutional time they have earned for the offense.

Take instituting punishment seriously, put some kind of fear into the privilege that clearly is taken for granted and perhaps apps like this would not longer be necessary.

What's next the prostitute finder app?
 
mistermonica said:
Those who do not support this are essentially condoning drinking and driving. Dont be cowards and use censorship or "the man" as a mask.
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*********. I'm condoning me, being 100% sober, having never gotten behind the wheel of a car, or handlebars of a motorcycle, while under the influence, being able to avoid being stopped, inconvenienced, delayed, possibly rear-ended, rained on, etc.
 
NightFlight said:
Sounds like a lot of the fools on this site don't even know what this app is.

IT ISN'T JUST FOR DUI CHECKPOINTS!!!!!

Can't they just remove the DUI checkpoint feature and leave the speed traps? I don't condone drunk driving AT ALL but I'd still like to know where speed traps are.

Oh well, if it is removed you can still jailbreak the device and run anything you want to.
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EXACTLY! And also, the DUI Checkpoints are shown to help avoid waiting so you can go another route. Im sure the app doesn't say "Hey Drunk Driver, your cool, so here are some checkpoints to avoid so you can still ride dirty, have fun and ROCK ON!"
People get over it, plus it isn't like this is a top app, I bet most people don't even use it or have it but for the exposure it's about to get, downloads will go up some
 
Don't do it apple. I also find it funny that all senators that sent the letter to apple are all part of the anti second amendment movement. Hmmmm. :rolleyes:
 
kprescod said:
Apple should definitely remove it, no need to pretend that you're not drunk! it keeps me an many other innocent family members alive and out of danger!
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Where do you live? Be specific. If you're going to call me a drunk, when I've never operated a vehicle under the influence, then be man enough to call me that to my face!

I have a right to voice my opinions in favor of these apps remaining without being slandered by the likes of you. If I want to avoid the risks of being rear-ended, avoid the delays, and avoid having to open my rain suit in the pouring rain (to produce my license) when I'm on my motorcycle, that's my business.
 
Digitalclips said:
Not taking sides here as I see merit on both sides but I find it odd that in this country the existence of check points themselves isn't what is being attacked by the pro app side.
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I think most people here recognize that individual rights have to be balanced with the rights of others. And certainly the right of freedom to travel includes the right to roads that are adequately policed for safety. The problem comes in when checkpoints are used in an unfair way--to harass members of a certain group or race, for example. But if they are used in a reasonable way to make the roads safe for law-abiding citizens, then I see no problem.

Again, though, once the Senate gets involved, you have another issue, and that is government control of private content. THAT is troubling as a free speech issue.
 
atomicbatteries said:
Its censorship until your entire family is killed by a drunk driver who has been convicted of this offense 5 times.

This country has never been serious about severely punishing people who commit this extremely dangerous and irresponsible act.

I have always wondered why licenses to operate a motor vehicle and even the right to own one is not revoked for life, in addition to any institutional time they have earned for the offense.

Take instituting punishment seriously, put some kind of fear into the privilege that clearly is taken for granted and perhaps apps like this would not longer be necessary.

What's next the prostitute finder app?
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If a driver has been in trouble for such an act 5 TIMES, that seems a issue far beyond a free, 3 Star app in the app stores don't you think? And if these people who keep doing it are still doing it, do you think removing this SPEED app will stop them? NO! they need to punish the people driving drunk more severly to get this to stop. Not remove a Speedtrap App, haha.
Prositution Finder??? Just stop, just stop, lol.
 
atomicbatteries said:
Its censorship until your entire family is killed by a drunk driver who has been convicted of this offense 5 times.
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So why are you focusing on the Apple app store and pushing for the removal of apps which help sober people rather than pushing for more effective sentencing?

Tell me, have you ever almost been rear-ended at one of these DUI checkpoints? I was, when the cops placed it around a blind curve.

Have you ever been on a motorcycle, in the pouring rain, when you were stopped at one of these oil-slick-creating checkpoints? Have you have had to open your rain suit and dump water inside of it while you fished out your license -- even though you had been detained and searched without probable cause? It's not fun.

atomicbatteries said:
What's next the prostitute finder app?
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I hereby copyright the name "Trickster."
 
This is becoming quite the slippery slope we're going down. These private companies, like Apple and Google, are soon going to control the majority of information we digest. When that happens, if it hasn't already, their influence is going to shape what this country becomes. And to top it off with political influence shaping their moral compass.......reason for concern.
 
Well this whole issue could be avoided, if the car makers would go ahead and manufacture the cars that drive themselves. It's time for this, the technology is there and has been tested (see Google car), and voila no more drunk drivers.

Just like that, no more need for DUI checkpoints, apps, no more worries about texting while driving. The car companies are almost being criminally negligent here for not beginning to replace the car fleet with ones that they know would eliminate all these troubles.
 
coleputt said:
Typical Nevada Senator writing letters to big companies who don't give a damn.
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He's showboating for the large contingent of know-nothings that votes in our elections. Either he does stupid things like this, or he just cedes those votes to the GOP Tea Party candidates.

If he wanted to do something about drunk driving, he'd start going after the casinos in his own state that hand out booze to anyone who is willing to keep placing big bets. He'd make them responsible when the valet hands the car back over to someone who staggered out of the casino.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
Well it's not really that big of a difference. It's a rather subtle difference because whether Cong. passes a law to censor private expression or they write a letter "kindly asking" a private company to censor itself really accomplishes the same effect. While neither is enforceable b/c such a law would likely not pass Constitutional muster and a letter is just a letter it's similar to Al Capone visiting a Speak Easy in the 1930s for a friendly chat with the owner.
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No, and this is a stupid comparison.

If Congress passes a law and you don't obey the law, you go to prison.
If a congressman writes you a letter asking you not to do something and you do it anyway...he may write you another letter.

See the difference? Break a law, go to prison. Ignore a congressional letter and get another letter. That's a pretty big distinction.

And people who think that this has something to do with the first amendment or censorship by the government are simply ignorant and should be embarrassed to publicly post their poor understanding of how the US government works.
 
AU4stree said:
I didn't read the whole article, but did they send letters to the software developers too? Seems to me, Apple approved an otherwise legal app, albeit one in a gray area, but legal.

Distracted/impaired drivers are dangerous to us all on the public byways.
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A gray area? I think you may be going a bit color blind there. Surprise DUI checkpoints are totally illegal under the 4th amendment. No question about it, no gray area. They are illegal. Period. So to get around that, the government removes the "surprise" part, and announces them all in advance. The dates, times, and locations are all published before hand in the newspaper, and on the radio. The thinking behind that is if the people know about them in advance, then they are "consenting" to the search if they choose to drive that road. Announcing the location of the checkpoints, in advance, is the ONLY thing that keeps them legal! This issue has nothing to do with "censorship" since it is the government themselves who are publishing the locations, as they are legally required to do.

This app is no different from the Weather app or the Craigslist app in that it brings information that is already published and publicly available - to your phone. Once again, notifying the people of the dates, times, and locations of these checkpoints is required by law! The government must provide this information or they cannot set up a checkpoint.

I'm against drunk driving, don't get me wrong, but I'm also against drunk lawmaking, which these four Senators are clearly guilty of.
 
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ApplLover said:
Im in agreement with this.
Remove them from the App Store.

It might be illegal etc.. but we must draw the line somewhere.
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Wow, some people clearly need American re-education. A free public clinic on your rights as a citizen is long over due.

Like those who advocate violating the rights of citizens.
 
Thunderhawks said:
I think it is a big deal.

Either we have freedom or not!

I don't think the gay app should have been removed either and nobody has any business to tell Apple what to do.

Apple has already decided that apps have to follow certain rules. (Albeit (their rules)

The government needs to find another way to enforce its DUI laws.

Clearly all communities have the expected fines they level from traffic stops built into their budgets and many times towards the end of a budget cycle they increase revenues by putting up more stops, patrols etc.

They already use these stops to find anything "ticketible". as some other posters wrote.

The government should concentrate on the real problems, They pick side battles that look good in the press.

Gays in the military, abortion who cares? Let everybody live their life in peace the way they decide to live it!
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So I an app that shows paedophiles where the nearest school playgrounds are located would be ok. Who cares? Let everyone live their life in peace.
These types of app help you break a law that's designed to protect people, how could Apple ever defend the idea of putting the lives of people at terrible risk just to make a few dollars more?
I guess socialism has its upsides, even though the capitalist pigs at Fox say otherwise.
 
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