• Co-ordinator: Dr. rer. nat. Stephan Lingner, Dipl. Geol.

• Documentation: Internal Report to the customer of the study (5/2011)

• Duration: 11/08-2/11

• Funding: Federal Highway Research Institute (Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen, BASt)

The study group contributes to the joint research project “Protection of crucial bridges and tunnels of road traffic (SKRIBT)” in terms of an ethical evaluation of the ongoing research. Recall that construction and operation of these infrastructures are highly critical with respect to security questions. These questions may arise from risks from natural disasters and human factors, which might be mitigated by planning, installation and operation of appropriate monitoring and safety systems. However, these measures could irritate road users and service personnel because they will enable e.g., identification and control of vehicles and their drivers and thus a broad collection, analysis and storage of sensible, personal movement data. Respective concern about excessive “data mining” and on endangered individual privacy gives reason to the above mentioned evaluation in an early stage of development. The study aims at the development of acceptable and ethically sound safety measures (including also non-technical means), which address central normative questions of data protection. The joint research project is coordinated by the “Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt)” on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).