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from the could-get-interesting-on-Halloween dept.
A police officer is directing traffic in the intersection when he sees a self-driving car barreling toward him and the occupant looking down at his smartphone. The officer gestures for the car to stop, and the self-driving vehicle rolls to a halt behind the crosswalk. "This seems like a pretty plausible interaction. Human drivers are required to pull over when a police officer gestures for them to do so. It’s reasonable to expect that self-driving cars would do the same." But Will Oremus writes that while it's clear that police officers should have some power over the movements of self-driving cars, "what’s less clear is where to draw the line." Should an officer be able to "do the same if he suspects the passenger of a crime? And what if the passenger doesn’t want the car to stop—can she override the command, or does the police officer have ultimate control?"
According to a RAND Corp. report on the future of technology and law enforcement “the dark side to all of the emerging access and interconnectivity is the risk to the public’s civil rights, privacy rights, and security.” It added, “One can readily imagine abuses that might occur if, for example, capabilities to control automated vehicles and the disclosure of detailed personal information about their occupants were not tightly controlled and secured.”
Original Submission
(Score: 2, Interesting) by tftp on Wednesday August 26 2015, @10:53PM
But then, there will likely a software interface for the police to take over the car. Probably built into the police cars. Which of course could never get stolen and then used for other purposes …
There is already an interface for that; it is called LEO's uniform and equipment - which one can purchase in many places. Law-abiding citizens stop for police. Crooks might not, but interaction between carjackers and thieves is not very relevant here.
I believe that an autonomous car would be safer - it could immediately call the Internet equivalent of 911 and report the incident - and continue to update its position until a certain police code (rotating, hard to emulate - if not a crypto ticket) is entered.