Thread by @hayward_katy

Just in time to trial on 29 March, coincidentally:
👇here’s the first out of the tech gates in the race to milk the #Brexit @BorderIrish cow: the ‘Drive Through Border Concept’ from Fujitsu.
🚛🚛🚛
So. What does it contain & how does it measure up?
1/10
thesun.co.uk/news/brexit/83…

NOTE: this is what it is to measure up to.👇👇
If it doesn’t, the UK govt should politely tell these chaps to go away & read the essay Q again.
We need something with 'no physical infrastructure or related checks or controls'.
*That commitment is there for a reason.*
2/10

The claim from Fujitsu about its Drive Through Border Concept:
'it avoids physical checks on the border
by using a tracking system
on designated routes via GPS
as well as number recognition cameras'.

[Hint: the reference to **on** the border is the critical bit]
3/10

Could this fix it?! 👷‍♂️
Erm...
- Tracking systems need: data upload, systems connected on both sides of the border, a willingness to be tracked.
- Designated routes: means that goods have to cross through ‘approved roads’ to stay legal. Q. What about the other 250-odd roads?
4/10

- Number recognition cameras: don't these usually take physical form? 📸
They can be found on 1 border crossing Dublin-Belfast at the moment.
Otherwise they tend not to last long on the border, the focus of the target practice the PSNI has warned of.
5/10
theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/d…

Talking of the Police: what's this from that article? 👀
EVERY GOODS VEHICLE crossing the border is monitored
[by 'the Police' not BorderForce].
If they register
+submit the declaration in advance
+cross at certain points
+the GPS works
+the ANPR cameras are still upright…

6/10

-'Tariffs paid online in advance by registered users'.
Sounds simple, but there's but a handful of AEOs in NI at the moment – it’s costly to register & pointless for small businesses.
How quickly will the new reg. system roll out?
&
What about those who forget to register?

7/10

'Suspect vehicles to be identified & flagged by the Artificial Intelligence-driven analysis wh looks at journeys as well as a wide array of other info, inc. social media posts.'

After trouncing personal privacy & data protection rules...
what happens? Inspection by robot?
8/10

They claim it has already been trialled...
in Africa, to ‘ward off bandits & hijackers’, ie if the lorry goes off route or doesn’t arrive at destination, they know there’s a prob.
Can't tell what lorry contains, if freight has been switched, if correct duty has been paid… 
9/10

To conclude: looking at tech at this stage is like buying a tent without any tent poles or pegs.
What customs & regulatory framework is this tech to fit over & facilitate?
Then, the more different it is to now (e.g. No Deal), the greater the stretch for tech. & credibility.
10/10