About two years ago I got involveed in the "Internet of Things". The idea is that you can monitor virtually everything but there seemed to be little thought on what data you keep and for how long. Involvement stopped after a few months although I keep a watchig brief. On many blogs it is now referred to as the "Internet of s****" as more thought seems to be put into collecting data than how you use it.

A friends niece put a device in her car to get a lower insurance premium. I suspect though that it affects her driving adveresely as she is constantly in fear of an indiscretion being picked up.

Simcard in the dash to tell when you're speeding and fine you automatically?

Much better use of 'intelligent speed detection' technology would be as a speed limiter in the car so you can't exceed the limit in the first place!

It could be made switchable so you could choose between 'speed limiter' and 'pay fines'.

It already exists the 'switchable' being a setting in the Mazda top speed settings. Reminds me of the Tv parent settings. I had in thought when setting it - my son who is back living with us may drive my car!! have actually set it iirc to 80 mph or there abouts, can't remember if it's only possible in the cruise control though :-] that's the problem with modern cars and all the settings.

We've been knowingly living with various spyware from the first days of the paper disc tachograph in lorries, and now with remote accessible digi tachograph able to be read on the move by a suitably equipped (VOSA/DVSA/whatever we call ourselves this week) vehicle alongside such as passing slowly on the motorway...this is quite apart from the myriad of supplementary spying equipment modern transport admin fetishise over.

Don't suppose cars will be so openly grassing their owners up, because the manufacturer who admits this and co-operates freely with the old bill won't be selling many cars soon as the word gets out, but i am in no doubt that whatever we do in the more expensive vehicles is being recorded quietly and permanently and has been for some time.

Be careful what you wish for as in automatic speed limiters, we'll end up with a two tier band of elephant racing, the lorries varying between 54 and 55.5 and the cars varying between 69 and 70.5, and it won't make a scrap of difference if you've got triple turbos and a supercharger to boot, if some murderous twit wants to hold you out there and kill you should you dare to overtake him and he sees red, as sme do, there is nothing you can do about it, lorry driving has been hell since the limiters came in, don't wish it on yourselves.