Police develop car 'kill-switch'

The EU is secretly developing a ‘kill switch’ to be fitted to all new cars that will allow police, or other authorities, to remotely stop any vehicle, reports The Telegraph.

The technology – which will allow police to track and stop cars from a control room – has made headlines worldwide and is either a leap forward in policing, or a horrendous invasion of privacy. Or, worse, a safety concern. Stopping cars at intersections or on freeways is surely an accident waiting to happen?

If approved, all new vehicles sold in Europe could be fitted with the tech by the end of the decade following a ‘six-year development timetable’.

Of course, the technology does offer positives. Ending dangerous high-speed car chases, or halting and locating stolen cars for example.

Already approved by the EU’s Standing Committee on Operation Cooperation and Internal Security, the plan has the support of senior police and civil servants, but has also attracted widespread criticism.

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