Electronic Tolling And Privacy

Massachusetts transportation officials are planning to start all-electronic tolling on the Massachusetts Turnpike on Oct. 28. The new system, outlined at a state transportation board meeting Monday, will also mean drivers will pay different rates to use the Mass Pike.

At Thursday's board meeting, state officials also said the new tolling system is capable of alerting police about specific license plates or transponders, which was first reported by The Boston Globe. While law enforcement officials have said that could be useful in helping to solve crimes quickly, some civil liberty groups are concerned about how the information would be used and how it would be secured.

We reached out to the state transportation department, which could not make anyone available Monday because of the ongoing meeting. But, a spokeswoman did say that they are hoping to have recommendations on handling the tolling system data in the coming weeks. MassDOT is also planning seven public hearings on all electronic tolling starting Sept. 6.

Jim Aloisi, former state transportation secretary and a principal at the Pemberton Square Group. He tweets @JimAloisi.

Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty Project at the ACLU of Massachusetts. She tweets @onekade.