Technology’s influence on the attempted Times Square Bomb Plot

On a daily basis, technology acts as a protective measure in preserving the safety of the citizens of our nation. New York City, one of the most populous cities in the world necessitates some of the most advanced security technology, as it has become a central target for many terrorist attacks. On May 1^st 2010, that technology was put to the test, when a Pakistani born U.S. citizen attempted to take out civilians with explosive devices in Times Square, capable of casualties. Although the attempt failed, it highlights technology’s role in acts of terrorism such as this, and provides a way to strengthen security technology in potential subsequent attacks.

Could we have prevented the attempt from escalating as far as it did? With our current level of technology, I believe we could not. While real time traffic cameras aided authorities in identifying Faisal Shahzad’s vehicle after the attempt, it was two street vendors who alerted the police at the time of the crime. This is due to the fact that currently, the U.S. does not have extensive surveillance systems in place, capable of detecting suspicious activity. The many surveillance cameras that the U.S. has are misplaced, positioned in various stores across the nation to discourage shoplifters, rather than where they are most needed: on the streets. Furthermore, security technology of the United States is behind in comparison to many other nations. For example, “The two smallest jurisdictions in the U.K., very rural areas indeed, together deploy more surveillance cameras than the San Francisco police department.” Adding to this issue is society’s concern over the protection of privacy. While many view additional surveillance as an invasion of privacy, I feel it is a necessary measure in highly targeted, densely populated areas, such as New York City.

I choose to conclude with what I feel to be the underlying problem that allows atrocities such as these to occur: technology is only as efficient as those who utilize it. As many traffic cameras that we place in populated areas, we must have an equal amount of efficient operators to correctly monitor them. Inefficiency proved to be the largest difficulty in Shahzad’s attempt to flee the U.S. The F.B.I. surveillance team responsible for monitoring Shahzad, lost track of him prior to his arrival at JFK, delaying crucial intel of his whereabouts. Officials were informed by a passenger list mere minutes before Shahzad’s takeoff. Moreover, Emirates disregarded an email message notifying all airlines to carefully examine the no fly list for an added name. Consequently, no matter how far technology progresses, its reliance on human intervention will always hold the potential for complication.