The Eyes Have It

Feelgood writes: "Yahoo is carrying a Reuters report that thermal imaging may be used in airports to detect liars. Shouldn't be a problem that 1 out of 4 liars will get away and 1 in 10 innocents will be incorrectly nailed." There's a UPI story about the lie detector possibilities and a blurb in Nature. From the UPI article, the inventor has a good appreciation of the ethical considerations. Will anyone else care?

Comments

This is frightening...

[Bagheera]

Considering the absolutley abysimal record of the polygraph in controlled testing (references are extensive) this is just something else we don't need. Relying on an "automatic" system is just asking for more "false faith" in a security system that doesn't work.

The article states that it's proven as effective as the existing polygraph - which is to say its reliability sucks.

Just what the world needs. Another knee-jerk deployment of a technology "to make us feel better." I suspect it'll be as effective as the National Guardsmen standing on the end of the big bridges - only far more intrusive if you happen to be one of those 10% false positives.

Time for a new Continental Congress

[perdida]

It's time for a new Continental Congress.

That is a gathering where citizens decide on a new constitution. Sort of a constitutional convention.

The government is, in this case and many others, taking responsibility for things it has no right to control.

Either we must stop the government from violating the SPIRIT of the 1st and 4th amendments, or we make a new Constitution without these freedoms.

We do have the right to abrogate these freedoms, to voluntarily give up our right to free speech and against search and seizure, but we can't give them up and "swear to uphold and defend the Constitution" in the same breath!

Will anyone else care?

[Raetsel]

Yes, they will... but how?

• Jon Katz will love it for all the material it'll generate -- just think, a whole new "Hellmouth" series!
• The (FBI | CIA | NSA) will love it because it'll allow them to assemble a biometric database of iris/cornea patterns.
• The average "Joe Citizen" will accept it because it's for protecting him from those nasty, evil terrorists.
• The (Taliban | Hezbolah | someotherfoamingidiot) will practice so they can defeat it.

• and...

• Everyone reading this comment will worry about the consequences of a false positive happening to them.

This comment has been a knee-jerk reaction. We now return you to your normal thread.

Fine, deploy the tech, but...

[e40]

There has to be serious compensation when the test fails. That is, when I go to the airport and I fail whatever "test" they give me and I'm "detained" for a few days, I want some serious cash as a result. Let's say $100,000 or more. That'll make Big Brother think twice about testing me.

Alone it might not be worth much...

[Greyfox]

But combine it with microexpression detection and voice stress analysis (Which your financial institution may already use) and you might just have a winner.

Re:Some theories on how to beat systems like this.

[Monkeyman334]

2. Know the questions being asked in advance. Practice giving rote answers to them so you're no longer thinking about the meaning of the question when it's actually asked, much like we no longer think about how exactly we tie our shoes.

I already do this one.

Did your bag leave your possesion after you packed it?

No

Did anyone ask you to carry on their bags?

No

They're going to start having to ask questions like "Are you not not a terrorist?", "Uhhhh, no?"