A high-speed chase through the streets of New York. The suspects' car shows no signs of slowing down, sowing panic among passers-by. The NYPD anti-crime officers know that an accident is a matter of moments, but instead of continuing to chase they hold a strange object similar to a toy gun.
They aim, shoot and… a dart sticks to the rear bumper of the fleeing car. There is not a harpoon on board, but a sophisticated GPS tracker. Welcome to the new, controversial chapter of fighting crime in the age of total surveillance.
Against crime, on Batman's trail
It seems like a scene straight out of a Batman comic, but instead it's the new reality of the New York police. Faced with the surge in car thefts that is plaguing the city (over 15.000 vehicles stolen last year alone, triple compared to five years ago) the department has decided to resort to a weapon as futuristic as it is bizarre: darts GPS fired at fleeing cars.
The idea is simple, at least on paper. Instead of embarking on dangerous high-speed chases through the crowded streets of the Big Apple, officers can "tag" suspicious vehicles with special projectiles equipped with trackers, and then follow their movements remotely. A solution that seems to come directly from the Dark Knight's bat-belt, but which also raises more than one question.
Hi-tech darts at a high price
But let's get into the technical detail. GPS darts, made by a company called Star Chase, are actually foam rubber projectiles the size of a soda can, fired from a compressed air launcher that looks strikingly like a Nerf gun. The difference is that these darts, once in contact with the car bodywork, get stuck there thanks to a special glue activated by heat, starting to transmit the position of the vehicle.
A device worthy of James Bond, in short. And the crux of the issue, as often happens when we talk about new surveillance technologies, is that of privacy. And here crime has little to do with it. The New York Police Department certainly doesn't have a spotless record when it comes to respecting civil rights and appropriate use of collected data. The fear is that these GPS darts could become yet another pervasive control tool in the hands of an already too intrusive security apparatus.
The objective declared by the mayor Eric adams is to “minimize high-speed chases in the city,” as declared to the New York Times. From this perspective, trackers could actually help prevent accidents and innocent victims. But the risk of abuse and Orwellian drift is always around the corner, especially in an already hyper-surveilled metropolis like New York.
From the gun to the cloud
GPS darts aren't the only hi-tech innovation in the battle against car theft and crime in general. Adams also announced the distribution of 500 Apple AirTags to owners of Hyundai and Kia vehicles, which are particularly vulnerable to theft because they can easily be started without a key. Another move that, despite starting from good intentions, raises legitimate questions about data security and pervasive tracking.
In the era of the cloud and the Internet of Things, even crime and its repression are becoming increasingly smarter and more connected. Ultimately, the story of the NYPD's GPS darts is emblematic of a broader trend, which sees technology permeate every aspect of our lives, including the sphere of public safety. From facial recognition cameras to patrol drones, from predictive algorithms to directed energy weapons, the future looks like something out of a dystopian science fiction novel.
How much does the future cost
Let's be clear, no one wants to deny the importance of fighting crime and ensuring the safety of citizens. But to what extent are we willing to sacrifice our freedom in the name of protection? And who protects us from our protectors, when technology makes their power increasingly pervasive and uncontrollable?
These are questions that, in the age of GPS darts and ubiquitous surveillance, we can no longer afford to ignore.
It's not about crime
Of course, finding a balance between security and freedom is never easy. It requires wisdom, moderation, a critical spirit. It requires an open and informed public debate, involving all stakeholders: from law enforcement to guarantors, from technology producers to ordinary citizens.
Perhaps the response to the NYPD's GPS darts is neither uncritical enthusiasm nor preconceived denial. It is a middle ground, made of caution, transparency and responsibility.
Because, in the end, the real challenge isn't catching car thieves, or fighting crime. The real challenge is to build a society where no one has to steal to survive, and where everyone can feel safe. Without the need for science fiction weapons, but with the strength of solidarity and justice.
