It also came with GPS tracking and included a very, very loud alarm that sounded in case you forcefully removed it or tried to drive off with it on the windshield – head stuck out the window, like Ace Ventura.
The trial was supposed to start on January 21, but was canceled entirely on Friday, after backlash from the students and concrete proof (also from them) that The Barnacle was neither as smart as advertised nor as difficult to remove. In fact, based on one Reddit thread, there were several methods to “hack” it and get it off the windshield.
The Barnacle works through suction. According to the initial announcement, it is “mounted with 1,000 pounds of pressure to removal.” When the parking officer finds a car with 3 outstanding parking fines, he inputs the car’s license plate into the clamp and arms it on the windshield. When the driver returns, he can connect to The Barnacle app and make the payment, and will then be sent the code to disarm the clamp. The driver must then drop The Barnacle to a designated drop spot.
Except that it’s much easier to take it off: apparently, all you have to do is run the defroster on the windshield for about 15 minutes and then use a credit card to break off the suction. To avoid getting into trouble, the driver could then just drop it on the ground and be on his or her merry way.
Outraged students didn’t stop here either, as per the same Reddit thread. One of them learned that The Barnacle already found on campus came with a SIM card with unlimited data so he tethered his own phone to the network to get unlimited phone data for several months.
In light of the hack and following complaints from students (who rightfully complained they were starting their adult life in debt because of tuition fees), the University of Oklahoma decided to cancel the program altogether.
anyway here’s how to get the barnacle off of your car https://t.co/GUfCd3qXhd pic.twitter.com/HcunI3kwbc
— cowboy sally (@saallyjohnsonn) January 14, 2020
Less than eight hours later, OU Parking Services issued a statement Tuesday evening that it will not be implementing the Barnacle until further notice “after seeeking further input from the OU community.” https://t.co/Qy5C2p4iHu
— OU Daily (@OUDaily) January 15, 2020
OU Parking Services will implement a new tool called the Barnacle beginning Jan. 21, 2020. Check out this video to learn more about it: pic.twitter.com/AYfaAZmAVI
— OU Daily (@OUDaily) January 14, 2020