New York 'digidog' hostage surveillance
Occurred: February 2021
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Images of an automated New York Police Department (NYPD) 'digidog' equipped with surveillance cameras responding to a hostage situation have drawn complaints from the local community, rights activists, and politicians.
The NYPD used the Boston Dynamics-manufactured Spot dog to surveil a house in the Bronx in which two men were holding two others hostage. The suspects were later arrested.
The incident prompted concerns about the technical capabilities of the robot, the scope for misuse and abuse, and its use in lower-income communities. It also raised questions about transparency, with the ACLU asking why the NYPD had failed to list it on its public disclosure of surveillance devices.
The Honolulu Police Department has since been found to have been using Spot to take the temperature of homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boston Robotics is one of six robotics companies that wrote an open letter pledging not to pursue or allow the weaponisation of their general-purpose robots.
In April 2023, the NYPD announced the acquisition of two Digidogs, at a cost of USD 750,000.
Operator: New York Police Department (NYPD)
Developer: Hyundai Motor Group/Boston Dynamics
Country: USA
Sector: Automotive
Purpose: Strengthen law enforcement
Technology: Robotics
Issue: Bias/discimination - race, ethnicity; Dual/multi-use; Privacy; Surveillance
Transparency: Governance
System
Boston Dynamics. Spot website
Boston Dynamics. Spot terms and conditions (pdf)
Boston Dynamics. An Open Letter to the Robotics Industry and our Communities,General Purpose Robots Should Not Be Weaponized
NYC Government (2023). Transcript: Mayor Adams Makes Public Safety Announcement With NYPD Commissioner Sewell
Research, advocacy
ACLU (2021). Robot Police Dogs are Here. Should We be Worried?
News, commentary, analysis
https://twitter.com/search?q=%22digidog%22%20nypd&src=recent_search_click
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/27/nyregion/nypd-robot-dog.html
https://nypost.com/2021/02/23/video-shows-nypds-new-robotic-dog-in-action-in-the-bronx/
https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-lawmaker-wants-ban-police-armed-robots/
https://www.curbed.com/2021/03/nypd-robot-dog-boston-dynamics-spot.html
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/02/nypd-police-robodog-patrols
https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/24/22299140/nypd-boston-dynamics-spot-robot-dog
https://gothamist.com/news/nypd-deploys-alarming-robot-dog-manhattan-public-housing-complex
https://www.axios.com/2022/10/06/boston-dynamics-pledges-weaponize-robots
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/11/nyregion/nypd-digidog-robot-crime.html
Page info
Type: Incident
Published: February 2021
Last updated: October 2022