#4 Where the body camera does not time stamp the recording with date and time, or current time stamp displayed on body camera is not the real local time, the PSCO should state these verbally whenever the recording is started, suspended, resumed and the inspection is completed.

For his part, Smith said it was “unfortunate that some members of Axon’s ethics advisory panel have chosen to withdraw from directly engaging on these issues before we heard or had a chance to address their technical questions. We respect their choice and will continue to seek diverse perspectives to challenge our thinking and help guide other technology options."

(1) Relevant internal procedure for protection of privacy relating to data storage, display, copy and transfer, etc. should be established.

#3 Under special circumstances, the recording process could be suspended and body cameras shall be turned off if it involves state secrets, trade secrets or personal privacy. For example, body cameras are allowed to be turned off/suspended when handling complaints and reports related to the Maritime Labour Convention. Before turning off/suspending, inspectors should state verbally that they have been asked to switch off the body camera for privacy reasons. Once such special circumstances have passed, the recording process shall be resumed immediately.

Tokyo MOU highlights that the usage of body camera during PSC inspections would be of help to promote and ensure integrity, professionalism and transparency of PSC activities, and suggests the following general principals:

#1 Body camera should be switched on before PSCOs step on the gangway of vessel for inspection. The Master and crew members must be advised that the PSCO is using a body camera to record the inspection and be informed the Master and crew of how the recording will be used, who will have access to the recording and how long it will be kept for. If the national legislation of the port State Authority allows, the Master and crew members should have the opportunity to ask the PSCO to turn off the Body Camera if they do not wish the inspection to be recorded.

“What’s the emergency?" asked board member Barry Friedman—a New York University law professor. "School shootings are a crisis. I agree. But Axon, on its own best timeline, isn’t going to come up with anything for a couple of years. Why was it necessary to jump ahead like this? What suggested as a necessary public dialogue was really just jumping over the head of the board.”

Recognizing that there are some concerns and observations on the use of body camera during PSC (particularly privacy considerations) from the industry, Tokyo MOU has developed related guidelines.

#5 For whole process recording, body camera is recommended to be switched off after the PSCO has stepped off the gangway when leaving the vessel.

(3) Data collected by body camera is only to be used for internal processes under strict supervision. This includes reviewing information associated with an inspection in response to request for an appeal or review of certain PSC inspection activities.

“I want to be explicit," said Smith regarding the turmoil at Axon. "I announced a potential delivery date a few years out as an expression of what could be possible. It is not an actual launch timeline—especially as we are pausing that program. A remotely operated non-lethal Taser-enabled drone in schools is an idea, not a product, and it’s a long way off. We have a lot of work and exploring to see if this technology is even viable, and to understand if the public concerns can be adequately addressed before moving forward. It is unfortunate that some members of Axon’s ethics advisory panel have chosen to withdraw from directly engaging on these issues before we heard or had a chance to address their technical questions. We respect their choice and will continue to seek diverse perspectives to challenge our thinking and help guide other technology options that we should be considering.”

#2 The PSCO’s use of a body camera shall not lead to invasion of privacy, ship’s crew will be informed before by the PSCO if entry into a private place such as cabin or hospital on board is required. The crew should be given adequate time to place any personal items, for example photographs, out of sight before the PSCO enters the space.

While many on the board were said to believe Axon's announcement was “trading on the tragedy of the Uvalde and Buffalo shooting,” Smith countered that he truly believed the taser drone could evolve into a working solution to save lives.

The proposed aerial weapon was mocked up as a yellow-colored drone (see photo at top) equipped with cameras and tasers, and reportedly designed to incapacitate an armed threat in less than 60 seconds (once the shooter is found and identified).

Passions and controversaries surrounding school shootings, gun control, and police response have paused development of a proposed non-lethal "taser drone" at the Axon company after nine members of its ethics board resigned.

Apparently, it all came down to the timing of the product announcement, as the board felt the company hadn't adequately addressed its concerns before telling the world about the proposed drone.

In the wake of the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, Axon CEO Rick Smith had stated he planned to explore building a taser-equipped drone as a defense option for active-shooter scenarios. The statement alone was enough to prompt the ethics board exodus.

Originally, the Axon technology was to be delivered solely to police forces—a move that still caused consernation amongst ethics-board members. However, after the shootings at the Uvalde elementary school—which prompted Smith to publicly announce he was “catastrophically disappointed” in police for their slow response to the situation—Axon reportedly greenlighted development of the taser drone for deployment in schools and released its plans to the media.

(4) It shall not be allowed for PSCOs to change, delete or circulate video and audio records. A responsible person should be assigned for management of transmission, storage, archiving and maintenance of storage equipment and audio and video records.

(2) A dedicated stand-alone storage solution for collecting and storage of data from body camera is recommended to be used for ensuring protection of privacy leakage.

The response from the board was heated: “Reasonable minds can differ on the merits of police-controlled Taser-equipped drones – our own board disagreed internally – but we unanimously are concerned with the process Axon has employed regarding this idea of drones in school classrooms.”