Most of us know of the breathalyzer, the device that all police officers carry in their cars to check if you’re over the alcoholic tolerance levels whilst driving. The simple device has been in use for decades and helped police officers across the globe arrest drivers that are breaking the law by drinking. Now there seems to be a so-called “textalyzer” device appearing.
The new device will help authorities determine whether someone involved in a road traffic accident was using a mobile device unlawfully, causing them to be distracted whilst driving. The technology is made by a company called Cellbrite, the Israeli firm that was rumored to have assisted the FBI with cracking the iPhone.
Drivers involved in accidents would have to submit their phone to roadside testing from a textalyzer device. The device would then determine if the driver was using a mobile device ahead of a crash. In a bid to get around the Fourth Amendment right to privacy, the textalyzer would not conversations, contacts, numbers, photos, and application data private. It will solely say whether the phone was in use prior to a motor vehicle mishap. Further analysis, which might require a warrant, could be necessary to determine whether such usage was via hands-free dashboard technology and to confirm the original finding.
