The Taser manufacturer, Axon, said yesterday that it is postponing its contentious proposal to use Taser-equipped drones to stop mass shooters. Last week, Axon founder and CEO Rick Smith revealed that the security firm will begin developing drones that could be piloted by first responders and perhaps deployed in schools to prevent another shooting like the one that occurred in Uvalde, Texas.
Brakes?
Axon's ethics council made up of tech, privacy, and policing specialists, publicly chastised Smith for the concept, claiming that drones may be used to over-police minority areas. Nine members of the board resigned yesterday in protest of the drone plan. The board issued a statement explaining the mass exodus, stating it had "lost trust in Axon's capacity to be a responsible partner."
A bigger picture
Axon has already proposed the concept of an armed drone. It planned to operate a police pilot program using the technology, but the board just decided against it. Smith also created a supplementary graphic book in 2016 that looked at how the drone may stop a gunman.
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