Last week, a group of four U.S. senators -- including New Jersey's Frank Lautenberg --wrote a letter to Google, Apple and RIM, asking them to remove DUI checkpoint apps that allow users to identify the locations of DUI checkpoints. Among the companies that received the letter, RIM (Research in Motion, the maker of BlackBerry devices) has become the first to respond by pulling at least two of its downloadable DUI checkpoint apps.
The letter also was written by Senators Harry Reid of Nevada, Charles Schumer of New York and Tom Udall of New Mexico. The letter demanded that the companies remove these DUI checkpoint applications from their stores. According to the letter, the checkpoint applications encouraged drivers to learn the locations of the nearest DUI checkpoint specified on a map and share this information with their friends. These applications have been popular for a while now, and some of them have millions of users.
When we last checked, Google’s Trapster DUI checkpoint application was still available for download, while Apple had not responded to the senators’ letter. However, RIM has bowed to the senator's request, and it has expelled two of its downloadable DUI checkpoint applications. The senators have already praised RIM for its quick action in removing the apps, and they have urged Google and Apple to do so as well.
What these applications do isn't necessarily illegal. Most of them depend on user-submitted information on checkpoints. Most checkpoint information is already freely available, posted on police department websites, Facebook pages or reported in the news media.
The New Jersey criminal defense lawyers at Helmer Paul Conley and Kasselman represent persons charged with sex crimes, drug crimes, murder, DWI and other crimes in New Jersey.
