Comments on: Police blotter: Closed-source breathalyzer on trial

In this installment: Should computers with secret methods of operation be used to convict Americans accused of drunk driving?

it depends.....

every ones biology is deferent... I am not justifying that its ok to drive impaired.. but geeze.. ever seen a really old senior make everyone on the road upset? a person who has caused an accident and is repeat offender should need some intervention.. but by whom? a machine?

what about someone who has taken stimulants all their life? and some of these people can code while drinking a beer.. and most people cant even code sober...

but really, car economies require people to drive.. and unfair labor markets have high rates of alchol abuse.. and alchol is a reall lousy pain killer... oh, and lets not visit whether euphoric experiences are bad or should be banned... there are plenty of Divas running around the spas and eating 5-star meals... some prostitues make way more money than some really telanted and dedicated professionals.. yes, we really do reap what we soe

conservative values are ok.. their ideals.. but come on. put some glasses on.. share the wealth.. and how come you have to be a millionare to be a politician? its stolen money.. and short sited out-of-whack values... ground that charity

[R Me]

your're drunk

Please blow into the tube

[heystoopid]

All machines need certification!!!!!!!!at all times!

All, machines, be it any type of breathalyzer(remember ketones generated by diabetics, are capable of giving false readings on all breathalyzers) or speed detection device( who said a static tree can't be clocked at 70 mph or more?) so regular certification certificate, should be a court mandated requirement. For as with any mechanical and electrical devices they can and will fail unpredictably! In a recent case in this state, an operator set the camera speed limit to 80Kph, in a 90Kph zone, the police reaction was a predictable, we don't make mistakes, ya gotta be kidding now get lost, we ain't gonna help you prove this case either ! Surprise, surprise all who entered that particular speed trap that day got a ticket for speeding that day and an amazing 98 % ended up paying the fine without a murmur! In another case a whole chain of speed cameras on a major freeway were all proved to be faulty, and gave false high readings, in one particlar case an elderly small 30 year old sedan clocked by independent authorities, at a maximum speed of 96Kph, was clocked on one of the faulty camera's as doing well over 176Kph. Oh well, such is life!

[paullehto]

Agreed all machines must disclose, like VOTING machines too!!

trade secret vote counting software is being used now in a majority of US jurisdictions. Whether they're counting correctly or incorrectly in secrecy, it's wrong!

[paullehto]

This is a BEDROCK Due Process requirement

Hard to understand how a person can be put away without the right to confront her accusers, whether the accuser is man or machine. Confrontation and cross examination requires information, of course! There's simply to reason to take on faith that the machine works, or to take the prosecution's witness on faith, either. Thank goodness the Constitution still lives.