Curbing killer machines

THE THREAT posed by technology to our national security has been brought home powerfully by two recent developments: the confirmation last week of the presence of “ghost gun” manufacturing in this country and the convening of high-ranking regional security officials this week to examine the risks posed by autonomous weapons.

Both matters require novel forms of intervention and legislative reform and should urgently engage the attention of our policymakers.

Various reports have for some time now noted the misappropriation of 3D-printing technology to manufacture firearm components in this country. But while these weapons have been understood to comprise a small percentage of illicit firearms in the region, the true number is unknown because of, jointly, the underground nature of the illegal weapons trade and the fact that 3D printed guns have no serial numbers that could help trace them. This is why they are a unique challenge.

As Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher noted last week, any factor that makes it easier for unsanctioned weapons to proliferate should be of grave concern.

“The lack of control in the production and distribution of these weapons could result in an increase in violent crime and contribute to the empowerment of criminal organisations,” she warned.

Legislative reform might not have much bite, given the clear challenges to enforcement any new laws might face. However, this could be a start. At the very least it would provide a statutory basis for law-enforcement officials to focus their efforts to gather intelligence. There should also be consideration of greater regulation of 3D printing.

The two-day conference hosted by Caricom’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), which began on Tuesday and ends today, also brought home the need for action to be taken on the increasing levels of autonomy in weapons systems made possible by the advancement of technology such as artificial intelligence, robotics and the use of drones.

“Such weapon technologies may have detrimental implications for maintaining peace and security, and protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure; raising questions about the sufficiency of existing governance frameworks,” the organisers of the event said in a concept note for the event, which featured Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds and Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, on the agenda.

“The lack of human control in the decision-making process of these weapons raises significant legal, ethical and moral concerns and also questions the conformity of these weapons with applicable international humanitarian law, international human rights law and issues of accountability and responsibility in the event of civilian harm or other unintended consequences.”

These matters should be placed before a parliamentary committee for careful study, with a view towards the formulation of a national policy which can be used to inform both legislative interventions and cross-border collaboration and diplomacy.