The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 8-3 to permit police to use robots armed with explosives in extreme situations where lives are at stake and no other alternative is available.
The authorization comes as police departments across the U.S. face increasing scrutiny for the use of militarized equipment and force amid a years-long reckoning on criminal justice.
The vote was prompted by a new California law requiring police to inventory military-grade equipment such as flashbang grenades, assault rifles and armored vehicles, and seek approval from the public for their use.
So far, police in just two California cities San Francisco and Oakland - have publicly discussed the use of robots as part of that process. Around the country, police have used robots over the past decade to communicate with barricaded suspects, enter potentially dangerous spaces and, in rare cases, for deadly force.
Dallas police became the first to kill a suspect with a robot in 2016, when they used one to detonate explosives during a standoff with a sniper who had killed five police officers and injured nine others.
The recent San Francisco vote, has renewed a fierce debate sparked years ago over the ethics of using robots to kill a suspect and the doors such policies might open. Largely, experts say, the use of such robots remains rare even as the technology advances.
Michael White, a professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University, said even if robotics companies present deadlier options at tradeshows, it doesn't mean police departments will buy them. White said companies made specialized claymores to end barricades and scrambled to equip body-worn cameras with facial recognition software, but departments didn't want them.
Bu hikaye AppleMagazine dergisinin AppleMagazine #580 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye AppleMagazine dergisinin AppleMagazine #580 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
GOOGLE WINS LEGAL BID TO OVERTURN 1.5 BILLION EURO ANTITRUST FINE IN EU DIGITAL AD CASE
Google won a court challenge this week against a 1.49 billion euro ($1.66 billion) European Union antitrust fine imposed five years ago that targeted its online advertising business.
FACEBOOK OWNER META BANS RUSSIA STATE MEDIA OUTLETS OVER 'FOREIGN INTERFERENCE'
Meta said it's banning Russia state media organization from its social media platforms, alleging that the outlets used deceptive tactics to amplify Moscow's propaganda. The announcement drew a rebuke from the Kremlin.
CONGRESS TARGETS CHINESE INFLUENCE IN HEALTH TECH. IT COULD COME WITH TRADEOFFS
A California biotechnology company that helps doctors detect genetic causes for cancer is among those that could be cut out of the U.S. market over ties to China, underscoring the possible tradeoffs between health innovation and a largely bipartisan push in Congress to counter Beijing's global influence.
TECH BILLIONAIRE RETURNS TO EARTH AFTER FIRST PRIVATE SPACEWALK
A billionaire spacewalker returned to Earth with his crew on Sunday (15), ending a five-day trip that lifted them higher than anyone has traveled since NASA's moonwalkers.
INSTAGRAM MAKES TEEN ACCOUNTS PRIVATE AS PRESSURE MOUNTS ON THE APP TO PROTECT CHILDREN
Instagram is making teen accounts private by default as it tries to make the platform safer for children amid a growing backlash against how social media affects young people's lives.
LONGSHOREMEN AT KEY US PORTS THREATENING TO STRIKE OVER AUTOMATION AND PAY
Determined to thwart the automating of their jobs, about 45,000 dockworkers along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts are threatening to strike on Oct. 1, a move that would shut down ports that handle about half the nation's cargo from ships.
GOOGLE'S MILLISECOND AD AUCTIONS ARE THE FOCUS OF A MONOPOLY CLAIM
It happens in milliseconds, ideally, as you browse the web. Networks of computers and software analyze who you are, what you are looking at and buy and sell the advertisements you see on web pages.
CLEAN ENERGY: SHE FOUNDED A BUSINESS TO KEEP EV CHARGING STATIONS UP AND RUNNING
Kameale Terry saw it coming before almost anyone else did. She realized the expanding network of electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S. would need a workforce to maintain it.
NOT-SO-GREAT EXPECTATIONS: STUDENTS ARE READING FEWER BOOKS IN ENGLISH CLASS
Chris Stanislawski didn't read much in his middle school English classes, but it never felt necessary. Students were given detailed chapter summaries for every novel they discussed, and teachers played audio of the books during class.
GM OFFERING ADAPTERS TO HELP ELECTRIC VEHICLE OWNERS ACCESS TESLA CHARGERS
General Motors is now offering adapters to help its electric vehicle owners access Tesla chargers.