Taxi black box

New York’s yellow taxis are used by more than 600,000 people every day. A passenger, however, cannot sit in the cab`s front seat next to the driver because of a bulletproof glass partition to protect drivers traveling on the city’s crime-prone streets at night. The only way for communication between a driver and a passenger is through a tiny window through which the fare is paid. Before the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing removed such partitions because of their unsightliness. In contrast, Chongqing, a major city in southwestern China, plans to install voice and video recorders on all of the city’s 11,400 taxis.

In Korea, robbery and rape using stolen taxis as well as crimes against taxi drivers occur frequently. As many criminals use stolen taxis to commit crimes, smartphone apps that allow a passenger to transmit the license plate number and location of the taxi he or she rides have grown popular among women. Video-recording “black boxes” are also installed on 58 percent of 72,000 registered cabs registered in Seoul mainly to record accidents and determine culpability. They cost between 100,000 (88.70 U.S. dollars) and 500,000 won (443.40 dollars). Many owners of luxury cars also install such devices on their cars since they could help reduce offenses such as children scratching a car`s surface with nails.

While a black box installed inside a taxi can freely record what happens ahead of the vehicle, recording what goes on inside the taxi is strictly regulated. A privacy protection law that took effect in September last year allows a black box to be installed in a vehicle solely for the purposes of crime prevention, investigation and safety. Vehicles with a black box must have a notice informing passengers of the device inside. Voice recording is banned in all circumstances. A nine-minute video clip spreading on the Internet contains footage of a young woman using foul language against a middle-aged driver and making condescending remarks about taxi drivers.

Under a law on privacy protection, a driver using a voice recording device inside his or her vehicle faces up to three years in prison or a maximum fine of 30 million won (266,075 dollars). If the driver makes the recordings public, he or she might face an additional criminal charge for violation of privacy. The children of the taxi driver might have put the video on the Internet to teach the female passenger a lesson. Many Internet users blame her for her rudeness. Nevertheless, if the passenger decides to press charges against the driver, he must face the legal consequences under law. Preventing crime is important, but protecting privacy is also an important value that should not be held lightly.

Editorial Writer Ha Tae-won (triplets@donga.com)