Here be Dragons?
Or much Ado about nothing?
Having read, thoroughly enjoyed, and encouraged many others to read, “Physics of the Future” by Michio Kaku (2011), I consider myself a vocal supporter of the integration of tech into our lives despite being aware of the dark side of the cyber world and threats lurking there. A few years back, I was speaking at a tech conference regarding the threat posed by financially motivated hackers engaged in the large-scale theft of financial and personal data, an issue I deal with on a daily basis. During a break, I wandered over to a Google car display to see what the future holds and how technology would assist us in the future. Although the technology was still in its early stages, the possibilities offered by the self-driving vehicle was very exciting to me because Kaku’s book highlighted the enhancements to our lives that self driving vehicles would offer.
Self driving vehicles don’t just offer the possibility of an effortless trip to the store or the chance to get a little more work done while being chauffeured to work by my car. Imagine a world with no need for traffic controls, decreased accidents, no speeding tickets, no reckless drivers, no drunk drivers and, something everyone can get behind, the end of vehicle insurance companies. How about a world with no traffic jams? As strange as it may seem, when aspects of fluid dynamics are applied to traffic patterns, self-driving vehicles would accelerate at traffic constriction points and seamlessly work the cars into the traffic flow.[1] To me, this is fascinating. The ripple effects of the adoption of this tech could have profound effects on numerous aspects of our lives.
But, before you jump into the google car and take off onto I-95 at rush hour, remember that any system can be hacked despite all the best precautions, as my daily experiences prove. Recently, several different groups have offered rewards and competitions to see who can be the first to hack self-driving vehicle technology and on-board systems. Many envision this as a way of making the technology stronger — and it may be. But, for additional consideration, law enforcement has imagined all sorts of ways that the tech could be used for evil. The FBI even issued a warning that enumerated all the ways that they envision self-driving vehicles could be used for evil. A self-driving IED? Frightening. Freeing a fleeing bank robber’s hands up so he can shoot back at pursuing officers? Not so much.
The question at hand for adoption of this technology comes down to this: Is the juice worth the squeeze? Do the benefits outweigh the threats? Since the emergence of the Homeland Security apparatus, many different groups have publicized supposed existential threats to our security — usually, but not always, as a way to make money by selling a service that only they can supply. Perhaps, the most important aspect of the homeland security mission requires practitioners with no interest in selling products to carefully consider the threats and bring a calming influence to the discussion.
