Plans to develop Taser-equipped drones for schools scrapped
Axon, the manufacturer of remotely controlled drones equipped with Tasers, has announced it is ceasing development of the drones after nine members of its ethics committee resigned.
UPDATE 4-Taser-maker halts project to arm drones with stun guns as ethics panel quits | Reuters
Axon halts plans for Taser drone as 9 on ethics board resign | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/technology-government-and-politics-shootings-655fc0df3588e3e6afcd2a81b9619724
Axon Ditches Plans for Weaponized Taser Drones as Majority of Ethics Board Resigns - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/axon-ditches-plans-for-weaponized-taser-drones-as-majority-of-ethics-board-resigns-11654545598
Mass shootings are not uncommon in America, a country known for its gun culture. Just in May 2022, a mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, on May 16th left 10 people dead. A mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas on May 24th left 14 children and one teacher dead, with the suspect also dying at the scene.
In response to these incidents, Axon, a manufacturer of Tasers and body cameras, has announced that it will develop remotely controlled drones equipped with Tasers for schools.
Manufacturer proposes introducing remote-controlled drones equipped with Tasers to schools - GIGAZINE
The plan wasn't born out of nowhere in response to a mass shooting; it had been in the works for some time. The ethics committee had expressed concerns about excessive drone power posing a threat to the community, but the recent series of mass shootings prompted Axon to go ahead with the announcement.
Nine of the 12 members of the ethics committee resigned, stating that 'Axon's credibility as a responsible partner has been lost,' and as a result, Axon's Taser drone development plan was withdrawn.
According to the Associated Press, Barry Friedman, a professor at New York University School of Law and chair of the ethics committee and one of the resigned members, said, 'It was very difficult to get Axon to understand that their customer should not be the police themselves, but the communities they serve.'
While Friedman acknowledged that school shootings are an emergency, he blamed CEO Rick Smith for moving forward with the case without fully listening to members of the ethics committee.
'Frankly, I'm not going to sit on the ethics advisory board of a company that believes that ubiquitous surveillance combined with remote, non-lethal weapons is a viable response to school shootings,' said Ryan Calo, a professor at the University of Washington School of Law.
However, Giles Hardale, a committee member with years of experience in digital research, told Reuters he chose not to resign because 'I have the potential to have a greater impact by being inside the tent than by being outside.'
Related Posts:
