Trita-infra Ex 03-036 Issn 1651-0194 Isrn Kth/infra/ex--03/036--se Department of Infrastructure Master of Science Thesis

This study is an ethical analysis of the Global Positioning System (GPS) in the context of taxi business, i.e. it is an attempt to investigate the ethical consequences of installing GPS in taxis. The reason for installing GPS in taxis was to increase the taxi drivers’ security, but there are other effects of the installation as well. When the stakeholders that are possibly affected by the technology were identified it was concluded that the taxi drivers was the most affected group, not only because they have the most direct experience of the system but also that the only negative effect of GPS, i.e. that it is potentially privacy invasive, is attributable to them. Since they are the most affected stakeholders the empirical study was focused on them. It was made by means of a questionnaire addressing 200 taxi drivers in the Stockholm region. The empirical study showed that taxi drivers are sympathetic towards GPS, but nevertheless 17,5 % of the taxi drivers perceived of GPS as privacy invasive. Given the different stakeholders’ perception of GPS, it was discussed whether the installation of GPS is legitimate or not from a consequentialist and a right based perspective assuming that the taxi driver has a prima facie right to privacy. It is argued that the installation that is used today could be legitimised from a consequentialist perspective but not from a right-based perspective.