San Francisco police are not allowed to use robots that can kill people

The police in the American city of San Francisco are not allowed to use robots to kill people. At the end of November, members of a local government body voted in favor of a policy that would allow this, but that will not go ahead.

Last month it was announced that the San Francisco police had submitted an application to use robots against people in interventions where the lives of police officers are at risk. In those cases, the robots would also be allowed to kill people, but only if there are really no other options left.

The Board of Supervisors voted in favor of the new policy, despite opposition from civil rights groups. Among other things, they feared more victims of police violence. A second, mandatory voting round followed on Tuesday. This must take place before a new policy can be sent to the mayor for approval. However, during the second round, the majority voted in favor of a ban on the use of lethal force by police robots.

The local newspaper San Francisco Chronicle notes that this turnaround is quite unusual, as the Council’s second rounds of votes are formalities that reflect the results of the first votes. The regulators also sent back for review the original policy that proposed the use of killer robots. That could be changed to include stricter rules on the use of bomb-equipped robots, or the old proposal could be scrapped altogether.