Brazil Government Sues Twitter Over Users Using Service to Avoid Speed Traps

As new technology develops, users tend to find uses for it that the original developers never envisioned, one such case is where drivers tweet the locations of police cars parked along the road looking for speeders. Tweeting their location allows those that are coming after to avoid speeding tickets and many police departments are, according to the AFP newswire in a BBC repot, upset about that. One governmental agency in Brazil has grown so upset by the practice that they are suing both Twitter and those that use Twitter to warn others about speed traps. This comes on the heels of the announcement by Twitter that it is now able to block use of its product country by country.

The local Brazilian governing officials in the state of Goias are asking for the immediate suspension of Twitter accounts of anyone found to be sending Tweets that give time, date and location of police checkpoints; a move that would likely only result in a temporary suspension as users could simply create an account under another name.

According to the BBC, the suit has brought a bit of a backlash as many in Brazil see the move as a means for police departments to ensure they are able to continue to collect revenue from traffic tickets, rather than as a "direct blow to human life and security" as officials have claimed, suggesting that their policing policies lower speed rates thus reducing accidents. Critics point out that Tweets alerting drivers to the presence of police check points achieve the same thing without penalizing drivers.

In response, authorities claim that police checkpoints are used mainly to catch those driving under the influence, and if other Twitter users are disclosing their locations, more drunk driving accidents will occur. They say that 55,000 people die every year in Brazil from such accidents and allowing motorists to circumvent a means of stopping some of those unnecessary deaths is simply wrong.

The BBC also notes that drivers Tweeting the location of checkpoints, or speed traps is not just a problem in Brazil; it occurs wherever drivers have access to Twitter. They go on to say that if Brazil succeeds in its efforts, other governmental agencies will almost certainly take note and attempt to do the same, especially in countries where lawsuits are common, such as the United States.

Not mentioned, however, is the likelihood of such lawsuits being found in violation of constitutional law in such countries as the US, where such decisions would likely be overturned on the grounds of free speech.