This Could Be Dangerous in the Wrong Hands

I recently blogged about robot soldiers and fears of a Terminator-style global takeover, which taps into phobias ranging from automatonophobia to doomsday phobias. Now there is even more new technology on the horizon, which could also be dangerous if not properly controlled.

According to Yahoo News, a recent case of mistaken identity led a plainclothes detective to accidentally shoot and kill an off-duty police officer while both were chasing a burglary suspect. Now the NYPD is looking into possible solutions that would allow police guns to communicate with each other, possibly through the use of RFID tags. Officials are hopeful that this could help reduce or even eliminate friendly fire.

I can't help but think, though, what happens when criminals get hold of tagged guns? Wouldn't the officers' guns send off a signal not to shoot? Mis-identification of a suspect as a police officer could potentially lead to even more deaths.

Considering the technology is still in its very early planning phases, it may be a bit soon to panic. Nonetheless, I do hope that those in charge consider this very real possibility. What are your thoughts?