The deportations carried out by the Trump administration and the actions taken against protesters opposed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement have cast a shadow over the atmosphere. The upcoming FIFA World Cuphosted by several cities in North America this month.
Human rights organizations expressed And football fan associations It expressed its concern about what it described as the militarization of law enforcement agencies, in addition to the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during the period preceding the tournament, which is expected to attract millions of visitors from various countries of the world, according to what the Futurism website reported.
Vice President J.D. Vance’s comments also intensified the controversy, after he warned foreign visitors last year that they must “go home” after the event ended, otherwise they would be forced to deal with former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Boston Dynamics robots in stadiums
In this context, scenes of the appearance of Boston Dynamics’ “Spot” robotic dogs inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, raised growing concerns about… Surveillance techniques Used during the tournament, according to what the Kron newspaper reported.
Rumors have spread on social media that these robots are equipped with facial recognition and passerby scanning technologies, but a Boston Dynamics spokesman confirmed to the newspaper “Cron” that the robots do not have facial recognition capabilities, explaining that they will be used to help security teams examine suspicious packages or materials that may pose a security risk.
A large-scale security initiative
These robots are part of the “Security Sites” initiative launched by the company that owns Boston Dynamics. The company confirmed on its website that it is deploying the largest and most advanced transportation fleet to date, noting that its cooperation with Boston Dynamics makes it the first and only official partner responsible for providing robots for the tournament.
The company added that the four-legged patrol robot “Security Spot” will support security operations within various locations, contributing to providing a safer environment during the tournament competitions.
Mixed reactions and Mexican participation
Despite the official clarifications, a number of Internet users expressed their annoyance at the spread of these robots, and some of them compared the scene to the “Metal Head” episode of the “Black Mirror” series, the events of which revolve around a dog chasing a sophisticated woman in a post-apocalyptic world.
One Reddit user commented on a video clip showing the robot moving its head while monitoring a person: “This scene gives me goosebumps,” while another user commented, saying: “I cannot get over the idea that they made him dance while performing authoritarian technological surveillance tasks.”
On the other hand, Mexico, which is hosting World Cup matches in three stadiums, is preparing to use four robotic dogs named “K9-X” to patrol inside the stadiums as part of the first response teams. According to what was published by Wired magazine earlier this year, these robots will intervene in cases of quarrels, drunkenness, or chaos with the aim of protecting security personnel and maintaining order inside sports facilities.
