You’ve heard me say… repeatedly :)… that we never see the true potential of an emergent technology or its inherent risks at the outset. All we can do is react to the emergence/evolution and apply our experience and sound assessment to take advantage of the opportunity and mitigate the risks. This is a prime example:
Five years ago, Google Earth worried government — the initial reaction to satellite photos available for commercial use was that someone might use it to do harm. But recently, some governments have realized that the benefits far outweigh the risks, and have turned to this tool to help them in numerous and varied capacities.
Have a good day,