Non-lethal v1
The lab system and first field pilot exclude firearms, lethal payloads and autonomous force.
Public governance framework
Capability without accountability is not a product.
Scarecrow is being designed as assistive technology: machines observe, record and support; trained people retain authority, legal responsibility and the ability to stop the system.
Design constitution
Rules the technology may not quietly bypass.
Human authority
Consequential deterrence and response decisions require an authenticated, accountable person.
Fail safe
When communications, location, power or sensor confidence fail, the system reduces capability and raises attention.
Purpose-limited data
Collect only what the defined security and pilot purpose needs. Routine surveillance is not a free secondary dataset.
Visible limitations
Concept, implemented, demonstrated, planned and blocked work are labelled separately.
Auditable change
State-changing actions, configuration changes and evidence exports must identify who did what and when.
Safety state
Uncertainty reduces action.
A secure system can still be unsafe. Scarecrow therefore treats physical behaviour, communications, human factors and software failure as one safety problem.
Current boundary: no live mobile platform or force-capable device is connected. A vendor-specific emergency stop and verified safe state are mandatory before physical movement enters a pilot.
- Normal
- Approved observation and test workflows operate inside the configured site boundary.
- Degraded
- A device, link or power source is unhealthy; operators see reduced coverage and no new consequential action begins.
- Human lead
- A named person or lawful response partner takes operational control; machines provide evidence and support.
- Fail-safe
- Mobile or actuating components enter a tested safe posture and require deliberate recovery.
- Emergency stop
- A physical, independently tested stop must override software before mobile operation is accepted.
- Post-incident
- Preserve evidence, record failures and near misses, review decisions and approve corrective action.
POPIA-aware design
Security footage still concerns people.
The original impact-assessment draft identifies farmers, families, workers, contractors, visitors, drivers and suspected intruders as possible data subjects. The final lawful basis, notices and retention rules must be set for each deployment with qualified review.
Define
Document the purpose, responsible party, operators, affected people and lawful basis before collection.
Minimise
Aim cameras at necessary zones, avoid private interiors, mask public roads where practical and limit audio.
Protect
Use access control, encryption, network separation and logs for viewing, export and configuration.
Retain
Separate short-lived routine records from incident evidence and justify each retention period.
Respond
Maintain procedures for access, correction, deletion objections and security-compromise notification.
POPIA section 19 requires appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational safeguards, foreseeable-risk assessment, verification and updating of controls. Read the official Act.
Cybersecurity baseline
A robot-control network must assume hostile attention.
The private threat model identifies remote takeover, disabled detection, device tampering, stolen footage and insider misuse as core scenarios. These are design inputs, not claims that the current prototype is production hardened.
Identity
Unique device identities, separate operator roles, rotation and revocation replace shared development keys before deployment.
Network boundaries
Separate device control, video and management traffic; deny unsolicited inbound access; use an authenticated tunnel for remote services.
Least privilege
A camera adapter cannot gain route authority. A maintenance role cannot silently view all incident footage.
Signed change
Updates and configurations require integrity verification, staged rollout, version history and rollback.
Tamper evidence
Audit records and exported evidence carry hashes so later alteration can be detected.
Assurance
Threat modelling, vulnerability review, penetration testing and incident exercises must precede commercial operation.
If ROS 2 is selected for robotics, its official security tooling supports identities, permissions and encrypted communication through security keystores and enclaves. ROS 2 security documentation.
South African operating context
The project has mapped the questions; it has not received blanket approval.
| Domain | Why it matters | Current project posture |
|---|---|---|
| Private Security Industry Regulation Act / PSiRA | Monitoring, response and security-service delivery may fall within regulated activity. | Technology-provider and registered-partner roles must be defined before a monitored service. |
| POPIA | Video, audio, identities, account data and location-linked records can be personal information. | Minimise, protect, log, retain for defined periods and contract with operators. |
| PAIA and evidence requests | Incident records may be requested or disclosed in legal, insurance or investigation processes. | Use a documented request, review and evidence-export process. |
| Occupational and public safety | Robots, towers, batteries, networks and maintenance introduce hazards to workers and visitors. | Site-specific risk assessment, signage, training, no-go zones and tested stops. |
| SACAA Part 101 pathway | Commercial or security-related unmanned-aircraft activity requires the applicable aviation pathway. | Drones are optional and outside the first pilot unless approved operators and aircraft are in place. |
| Criminal and civil law | Deterrence or physical intervention can create liability even when described as non-lethal. | Initial pilot limits behaviour to observation, lights, sirens and voice after legal and safety review. |
Incident governance
Every serious event ends with review, not just closure.
Detect and preserve
Record source, time, zone, device state and the minimum useful evidence.
Human verification
Check expected people, vehicles, animals, schedules and available imagery.
Lawful response
Use agreed non-lethal warnings and call the responsible human response network.
Debrief and correct
Preserve evidence, document decisions, report failures and update configuration through change control.
Professional gate: the working legal, privacy, safety and incident documents are structured questions for counsel, PSiRA-aware partners, insurers and safety engineers. They are not legal opinions or operating approval.
See the partner roles