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Prototype EU Airplane Spy Cams Watch For Facecrime

I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "You can't make stuff like this up. The EU is actually testing a prototype system of cameras in airplanes to monitor passengers' facial expressions in order to detect both terrorism and 'air rage.' The Security of Aircraft in the Future European Environment (SAFEE) project used an Airbus A380 fuselage with six wide-angle cameras to watch for people running or loitering near the cockpit door, as well as a camera in the back of every seat to watch for facecrime like sweating too much, or acting nervous. But that's okay, because the system won't alert anyone until it sees a 'combination of signs,' instead of just one stray expression, or they might accidentally catch a lot of people who are afraid of flying or of being watched."

20 of 359 comments (clear)

  1. Right, by abolitiontheory · · Score: 5, Insightful

    because perpetrators wouldn't ever be calm or completely resigned to their fate/choice.

    1. Re:Right, by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Indeed. I love this theory that someone who is mentally prepared to kill themselves is going to break out in a cold sweat beforehand and give themselves away.

      How many people are going to be labeled as terrorists because their facial expressions show annoyance due to the screaming baby with the ear infection sitting directly behind them?

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    2. Re:Right, by abolitiontheory · · Score: 4, Funny
      Exactly. This system is more likely to catch a bunch of nervous kids trying to work up the courage to ask out the cute girl in the next row over, not attack the cockpit for the glory of Allah.

      (No offense to Allah, he probably made the cute girl in the next row.)

    3. Re:Right, by turgid · · Score: 4, Funny

      Silly nervous kids! If they blew themselves up for the glory of Allah, he would guarantee them 72 cute virgin girls all to themselves for eternity in paradise.

      Talking of which, every time Mustafa blows himself up, 72 innocent virgins die, by definition.

    4. Re:Right, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      he would guarantee them 72 cute virgin girls all to themselves for eternity in paradise. Nobody ever said that the virgins would be cute. Imagine the surprise when the virgins all turn out to be slashdotters.
    5. Re:Right, by Hoplite3 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I think it's perfectly reasonable that such a face cam could flag some terrorists, even if it doesn't flag them all. From that limited perspective, it's an effective tool.

      But I think it's shit for two other reasons that often don't enter into the analysis of the buerocrats:

      1) It dehumanizes the passengers. I'm willing to accept some risks so that I'm not monitored by computers. I think many people feel the same.

      2) It will CERTAINLY generate many false positives. Then some functionary will have to check out each false positive. That person's time will be spent tending the bad-face-machine instead of being more intelligent about watching for threats. This sort of thing ultimately makes me less safe.

      And for a good example of (2) in action right now: the liquid and gel restrictions. I was flying to meet some friends for a hiking trip. I checked by big pack, but decided to carry on my daypack since it was just a small backpack like I usually carry-on. But I had previously packed my daypack with usual hiking stuff, including a 3" knife and a tube of sunscreen. When they pulled me aside at the xray, I immediately realized I had inadvertently taken my nice knife to the x-ray ... but my fear was for nothing. They were so worried about my 8 oz tube of sunscreen that they completely missed the knife. I threw out the tube and carried my knife on board. Needless to say, I checked everything on the flight back :)

      --
      Use the Firehose to mod down Second Life stories!
    6. Re:Right, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      ever wonder why the muslim afterlife is full of virgins? must be the ug-o's

      See, I have a theory -- they must be actual virgins in every respect. I imagine the sexual encounters resemble something like this:

      "Your gonna do WHAT? Your gonna put that thing WHERE?"
      "Ouch! Ow! That hurts! Stop that! Ow!"
      "Your done already?"

      See, they think it's paradise but it's actually hell ;)

    7. Re:Right, by Eli+Gottlieb · · Score: 4, Informative

      Arabic is a mostly-gendered language. The word used for the virgins is feminine.

  2. How these security cams will actually be used by xmas2003 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The A380 is a long haul aircraft and there isn't a lot to do up front with automated cockpits. So in the interests of "security", the pilots will probably "monitor" the cameras ... keeping a particularly close eye on attractive females. And how long until the first footage of the Mile High Club shows up on YouTube?

    One of my all-time favorite "caught in the act" via webcam was Duncan Grisby using the opensource motion program to catch a burgler in his flat - technical details of his setup.

    Speaking of cams, here is a nifty BirdCam of House Finches - look for baby chicks.

    --
    Hulk SMASH Celiac Disease
  3. Being watched is good for you by l2718 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well, we all realize it's very important for everyone (especially young children) to learn that being watched at all places and all times is normal and important for the functioning of civilizations. Airplane cabins are a convenient place to start since some people are sufficiently scared of flying to accept surveilance there.

  4. Re:white out by VeNoM0619 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Whiting out your face won't make a difference, I'd go with the old trusty tinfoil hat.

    --
    Disclaimer: I am not god.
    We may not be created equal
    But we can be treated equal.
  5. Two questions by Thelasko · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1. How much does all of this equipment weigh?

    2. If it detects a terrorist attack, what can anyone do about it while the plane is in the air?

    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
  6. air rage by snarfies · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Would "air rage" be the rage I feel after I've had my laptop and bags rifled through, a full body-cavity search, and after having my toothpaste confiscated and after pouring my water in a big bucket?

  7. Re:white out by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Funny
    Nobody has said anything about duct tape. Just a wee little bit on the lens and - privacy!

    "No maam, I don't know how that tape got there, maybe someone was trying to fix something.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  8. Nose Pickers by bxwatso · · Score: 4, Funny

    A camera in every seat back is another example of the government's efforts to identify and then marginalize nose pickers.

  9. Re:Why the obcession with aircraft? by Lurker2288 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Even before 9/11 planes have traditionally been high value targets. Originally this was probably because jet travel was regarded as sort of symbolic of the wealthy and privileged (the expression 'jet-set' though perhaps a bit dated, is a product of that mentality). So whatever the specific nature of your complaint, targeting a passenger jet was a way of focusing on high value targets, as opposed to, say, hitting a Greyhound bus.

    Additionally, factor in some of the tactical benefits of an assault on a plane: you automatically have mobility and hostages, which affords you some protection against police or military who might try to intervene. And if your goal is widespread death, crashing or detonating a plane is pretty surefire, compared to a comparable attack on the ground.

    Of course, common sense tells us that if we make planes terrorist-proof, terrorists will just strike elsewhere. There's a diminishing marginal return on airplane security, and products like this facecrime camera are probably WAAAAY out there in terms of cost/benefit.

  10. Ok! by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... So, some sort of Post-It note with a smiley face on the back may be in order.

    --
    Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
  11. Re:In other news... by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sales of Sharpies and other black magic markers that can be used to black out airplane seat cameras increased in the EU today.

    Well, unless you carefully black out the camera before you sit, they'll have a picture of your face. Since the airline knows who was sitting in a seat, they know who you are anyway. If cameras start dropping off-line, and if they're monitored in real time, don't you think someone will notice?

    Do you really not think that it will be a criminal offense to tamper with the airline safety system? And, clearly, people with good intentions would never do such a thing, so they'll presume you had bad intentions from the start.

    I simply can't believe that they'd neither catch your nor fail to charge you with something. I'm not in favor of being on camera while in flight (I think it's an appalling idea), but I don't imagine the powers that be will react nicely to people mucking about with their security toys.

    People seriously pondering something like this should accept the fact that their principled stand might find themselves in some trouble.

    Cheers
    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  12. I hate commercial flights by bsDaemon · · Score: 4, Funny

    My grandfather was commissioned into the Navy in 1936 as a pilot. My great uncle flew the China Clipper and was a Pan-Am pilot for 30 years. My father is a retired airline pilot with over 20 years. I took flying lessons from when I was 12 to when I was 17 (I was supposed to solo the Saturday following Sept. 11, however that fucked everything up and I never got my lesson).

    I even have some time logged behind the stick of a DASH-8 that my dad snuck me in to ferry between Newport News and Norfolk airports one time when I was 13 (only crew members on board, no "passengers").

    Its not that I don't like flying. However, I **HATE** to fly commercially. The seats are uncomfortable, the air is stale, babies scream, people cough and sneeze, etc.

    I always look pissed off on airlines and in airports, because I usually am. Of course, most of the flights I've taken in the past were as a non-rev and the crew knew my dad, so I was nice to them and they were nice to me, too.

    Frankly, I think the people who **DON'T** look like they're about to kill someone are the ones you need to watch out for. There is probably something wrong with them as they clearly enjoy pain and discomfort.

  13. Re:Like flying much? by pablomme · · Score: 5, Funny

    the competition will be trains, automobiles and the Internet Yeah, I too prefer to email myself everywhere these days.
    --
    The state you are in while your HEAD is detached... - wait, what?