Despite the unfortunately Orwellian name, the project feels more innocent than the similarly devised radiation detectors, but it will probably encounter the same problems. As it stands, a dedicated Java app is required to submit data, which will probably severely limit the userbase, not to mention battery life. Bundling the software as part of a mobile OS would set off privacy advocates' alarms almost instantly, but I don't see much harm in an opt-in tracking system, assuming it is turned off by default. [Slashphone]

In order to get the needed information, the project uses a Java program that participants can download onto their phone.Traffic is then calculated using an algorithm researchers have developed. The software is eventually expected to work on most GPS-enabled phones on GSM networks. The project will not require many users, but does require them to be spread out for better results. Mobile Millennium plans to post the data it receives on the Web, but users who have the Java software will be most up-to-date. Luckily, for all the privacy-seekers, the information culled will be kept anonymous. Because the software uses a lot of data, only users with unlimited data plans are advised to sign up because you certainly don't want to end up with a $218 trillion phone bill. [Mobile Millennium via IT World]