Antiterrorism indemnified
Makers of antiterrorist technology are lining up to register under a new government program that provides them with immunity from lawsuits if their products don’t work during a terrorist attack. Supporters say the program, buried in a little-noticed section of last year’s Homeland Security Act, is vital in getting companies to develop and sell new technologies. “The law is absolutely necessary,” government contract attorney Jacob B. Pankowski said. Without it, he said, “fears of unlimited liability would make industry reluctant to introduce antiterrorist goods and services into the marketplace.” The Department of Homeland Security’s undersecretary for technology, Charles E. McQueary, told UPI in an interview that, “It’s important to the country to try to take advantage of these technologies.” Full Story