Is Michigan Paving The Way For Another Mass Surveillance Tool?– dailycaller.com

Michigan will test counting drivers’ miles through vehicle GPS and smartphones — even though more than 30% of residents told the state they worry about privacy.

The six-month pilot launches in February 2027 with 1,000 volunteers, Fox 17 reported. It will test odometer readings, in-vehicle telematics, a plug-in device and a smartphone app, according to minutes from an Aug. 24 meeting of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) technical advisory committee.

GPS “can get you within two meters reliably today,” John Peracchio, a State Transportation Commission appointee helping design the pilot, said in a Feb. 4 interview with WDIV. MDOT’s own 2024 survey of 19,160 residents found that more than 30% were worried about data privacy and that 17% would refuse to provide mileage data, according to the department’s report.

“Michigan families are already struggling to afford everyday life, and the last thing they need is state government tracking their every move just to take more of their hard-earned money,” Michigan Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Instead of coming up with new ways to reach into drivers’ pockets and invade their privacy, Democrats need to end their corporate welfare and root out wasteful spending to fix our roads.”

The Governor wants to spend $7.8 million dollars to “explore road funding options.”

She’s had 6 years, a $9 billion surplus, and a 40% increase in state revenue.

She spent ALL OF IT and now wants to spend another $7.8 million to find new ways to take MORE money out of YOUR… pic.twitter.com/H1wIpDcwBg

— Senator Aric Nesbitt (@SenAricNesbitt) February 24, 2025