If you were watching the cricket this summer, you can’t have missed the curious player decision review system. Basically, the system gives players the ability to request a review of a decision made by an on-field umpire. If they think the decision is wrong, they have the opportunity to appeal the decision, and have it reviewed by the third umpire. The commentators (at least those on Channel 9) have been speaking favourably about it - the technology, they say, reduces the likelihood of error and increases the chances of correct decisions being made. No one’s getting away with anything these days.

This got me thinking - are Australians really that eager for technology to be used to keep us playing by the rules?

If we’re so keen to do what is right and play by the rules, how would we feel about technology being used to this end in other areas of life? For example:

• if our cars were fitted with detectors that knew the speed limit of the road we were traveling on, and matched this with the speed we were traveling, and then sent this data back to the RTA - would we be supportive of that?
• if our cars were fitted with detectors that knew the length of time we were allowed to park in a limited-time parking space, and then tracked how long we had parked there, and sent this data back to the local council - would we be supportive of that?
• if the memory in our brains could be downloaded onto a computer (as one person is predicting could be possible soon), and this could be accessed to verify if particular things we have said about the past are true - would we be supportive of that?

Each of these applications of technology would help us play by the rules (and catch us out if we hadn’t).

I just don’t think that outside of a cricket match, humans are that keen to be such sticklers for the rules.