Robot Cameras Duped by Pranksters
Police departments use robot cameras to catch traffic offenders. If you break the speed limit, character recognition software will record your license plate number and send you a speeding ticket in the mail. The problem: Teenagers in Maryland are using laser printers to fake the license plates of their teachers.
No matter how advanced technology gets, there will always be holes and smart pranksters will exploit those holes. Technology is only as good as the strategy it supports.
Anomalies like this are not limited to speeding cameras. Recent business history is full of enterprises that viewed slick technology as the savior of a poorly-designed business plan. But technology is only a boat. A boat that sails without a plan will travel around in circles until it sinks.
Robot cameras are good tools, but police departments that use the cameras must understand their limitations and plan accordingly. Technology is only as good as the strategy it supports.