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Chinese Researchers' 'Terror Cam' Could Scan Crowds, Looking for Stress
concertina226 (2447056) writes Scientists at China's Southwest University in Chongqing are working on a new type of camera that takes Big Brother to a whole new level – the camera is meant to detect highly stressed individuals so that police can catch them before they commit a crime. The camera makes use of hyperspectral imaging, i.e. a 'stress sensor' that measures the amount of oxygen in blood across visible areas of the body, such as the face. Chinese authorities are deeply concerned about the recent spate of deadly attacks occurring in public places, such as the mass stabbing attack by eight knife-wielding extremists in the city of Kunming, Yunnan in March, which left 29 civilians dead and over 140 others injured.
And before long they'll be labeling people as latent criminals and locking them up before they ever even commit a crime.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
People on the way to the dentist, or a job interview, or even a first date might get called in. At the same time Muslims take great pains to brutalise and desensitise their kids so they will be less likely to show stress.
The problem with this kind of tech is a combination of false positive and police harassment of false positives.
Suddenly anyone with high blood pressure is a suspect.
I wonder if when tech will get deployed at customs.
'Terrorists' quickly discover that a few milligrams of clonazepam right before the big martyrdom operation is way less haram than getting shitfaced and at least as effective at masking anxiety. In other news, state security services are stretched thin in their new battle against 'cosmetics', a class of nefarious concealment powders and pigments specifically designed to mask the user's true facial state. On a happier note, authorities report that perps with anxiety disorders are much easier to interrogate than the other kind and credit a 58% increase in the number and detail of mostly-voluntary confessions to a new focus on these low resistance criminals...
You could just change the government there and allow people more freedoms, including religion. Being fascist dickwads certainly isn't helping things. I'm not an advocate for religious practice however peoples' beliefs can force them to do something awful just to draw attention to their plight. Instead of stabbing people randomly, people being repressed in China could be like Shen Yun and put on a show about it. No? Well okay carry on then creating something that'll put more people in jail or bring back the labor camps.
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
This would be great to use in sweatshops! You'd need fewer armed guards and you'd be able to see who is too relaxed (AKA slacking off)! Oh, panoptic society, I thought you were just a fantasy!
Wait, 1984 wasn't a guidebook? Well, then why have been working towards all the same tech? Oh... we're idiots. Got it.
In the attempt of "detecting stress", they would probably be "causing stress" because there is now always someone watching you (not that you might be committing anything, just the lack of comfort due to people always watching you). So pretty much getting rid of people who has the potential of camera shyness
Maybe China should stop being so shitty to its people.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Chinese Researchers' 'Terror Cam'
At first I read that as "Chinese Researchers' 'Terror Clam'...
We live in strange times; anything's possible.
False positives aside, it can also serve as another excuse to arrest whoever you want because "they look guilty".
China has been an Orwellian society for about 65 years (some regions a bit longer than others).
...in the National People's Congress (China's parliament).
I wonder how many potential criminals they'll find within the halls of government.
What is needed is more knife-control laws, or, as they're known in this country, "knife-safety" laws. It is self-evident that if the government were to take away everyone's knives, these kinds of incidents would cease.
No one is ever stressed out, unless they are planning a terror attack. No job interviews, arguments with the spousal unit, kids run off, financial problems...
The only thing surprising is that this article isn't about something in the UK or the US. Probably that's where it will first be installed, so that more names can be added to the terrorist watch list.
Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.
You seem overly stressed, citizen.
It is with 100% certainty already here. DARPA had a program ten years ago looking into this very concept. Google "darpa multispectral imaging face" and you will see a bunch of PDF reports.
Well said I wish I had mod points. Unfortunately I am sure you will get modded down for this one.
"PSYCHO-PASS" a japanese anime which actually succeeds to show the audience a possible future if this idea is truly realised.
Just my 2 Cents, but this idea is going to fail badly. - Just noticed...other individuals oscillate on my frequency.
Stop the crime before it happens.
Someone should make a movie about this.
And just throw everyone in jail who happens to be unemployed. That will save you a whole lot of time.
[/eyeroll]
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
If stress is probable cause for warrantless attention, Americans have no rights at all, because stress--not liberty--is the cornerstone of our lives.
Whoa, back the FBI surveillance van up there cowboy. The article has nothing to do with the US. This is about China. Sure, if this technology takes off, there is a good chance that the TSA and NSA would be next in line. However, it is way too early to start decrying the loss of American civil liberties over this story.
Slow Down Cowboy! It's been 1 hour, 47 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment
There is an easy test. Just play "Stuck In The Middle With You." If they pull out a razor and start dancing, they are obviously a Psychopath and you shoot the bastard before he takes off someone's ear.
Slow Down Cowboy! It's been 1 hour, 47 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment
inmate: So youre the new guy. I got 15 years for murder. what did you do?
new guy: suspicion of terrorism at a train station. The cops said their new camera detected my enormous amount of stress.
inmate: thats gutsy. So, did ya pull it off? the terror attack?
new guy: if by terror attack you mean a taco bell breakfast, then yeah. Im sure theres a plumber and a janitor that are pretty terrorized by me.
Good people go to bed earlier.
There are people who says that there is a way to cheat the lie-detector - and I am wondering of there is a way to cheat this new hyperspectral imaging thing ?
Yea - it's called "being exactly the type of sociopath you would want stopped by this sort of thing."
See, a sociopath won't show stress before committing a crime, because they don't stress about such things; that sort of behavior is normal for them.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
The US has had this for a while. It wasn't much news for us, because we have legitimate terrorist concerns (they killed almost as many people as peanuts did back in 2001!).
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
Please step away from the camera ...
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
If you don't think the Amerikans are trying this already in secret, you're dumber than a bag of hammers.
All workers in the foxconn buildings have been arrested after the implementation of the stress cams.
please... let me sleep... a little more... yay, no longer annonmyous coward.
Or just clenching your butthole. That's the supposed trick against lie detectors, anyway :)
I somehow think it would have the opposite effect against this terror cam, but I'm not about to go on a killing spree, so I can't test it.
Hope they don't combine this with this , would make it pretty messy
psycho pass anyone?
Don't think that would work, as lie detectors are based off of heart rate and skin salinity (I think), whereas this camera operates by recording a persons "aura," for lack of a more scientific term.
Point being, a true sociopath, such as a religious fanatic, isn't going to show stress the way the authorities would expect them to. All this camera is going to catch are the people with high blood pressure, and those of us who get nervous around cops.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Any anti-terrorist system has the same problem. Even if this is 99% accurate, the amount of false positives would overwhelm the system.
> whereas this camera operates by recording a persons "aura," for lack of a more scientific term.
Aura? Seriously? No. Not even close. It works by looking for small fluxuations in skin color that result from changes in blood flow. This same technique has been investigated as a tool for medical use as well.
I am pretty sure that clenching your anal sphincter, or any other muscle in your body, will result in changes in blood flow. Actually given how poor most people's motor control actually is, it will probably result in you clenching several other muscles and likely holding your breath momentarily (seriously, try it, also, try taking a dump without holding your breath as you push, it takes some practice....)
> All this camera is going to catch are the people with high blood pressure, and those of us who get nervous
> around cops.
On this you are spot on....along with people who:
- just had a fight with their wife
- have kids failing classes
- just lost their job
- are on their way to a job interview
- just got a cancer diagnosis
- have an irrational fear of travel
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
As stupid as I think this is, its a valid point. In fact, I highly doubt any terrorist foot soldiers are sociopaths.
What sociopath would risk his own life for a cause? That isn't a very sociopath thing to do. The place for the sociopath is planning the attack and finding the ideological folks to carry it out.
The actual low level terrorists are more likely disaffected and pissed. Fathers and sons who see themselves as getting revenge for a killed family member, for example....you know.... the kind of people a sociopath can talk into doing something for him.
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
> whereas this camera operates by recording a persons "aura," for lack of a more scientific term.
Aura? Seriously?
Well, no, of course not. But when they use terms like "hyperspectral imaging," you've got to admit, that sounds pretty damn Ghosthunter-y.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Someone always has to put in a defensive "But America does it too" whenever we discuss negative characteristics of China or its government. I notice the urge generally isn't there when we discuss the foibles of Europe and most other parts of the world. Even commentary on the various ongoing spying scandals tend to remember that the US isn't the only offender.
Hyper = increased beyond normal range, like hyper-extension (joints) and hyperglycaemic.
Spectral = light emission range.
They are simply using UV or IR imaging (most likely IR, as increased oxygenation in the surface blood will alter the temperature of the skin) and since IR falls outside our typical range of visible light, calling it Hyperspectral imaging is quite correct.
You may be mistaking Spectrum and Spectre here and ending up with a ghost who's ingested too much sugar.
No, give EVERYONE knives, so that if you try to go on a knifing spree, there's a good chance that you are going to come up against an angry mob armed with knives.
"One of the most important advances in casino technology comes from facial recognition systems, where guests entering the gambling area are photographed and their visages are compared with an ever-growing database of known cheaters and suspicious people."
- Link
-kgj
i've noticed this too. it's a weird combination of things.
: The fetishization of China by certain weirdos as a place of 'economic liberty' (lol), or at least something worth kowtowing to, just in case.
: The fear of appearing racist. This is due to a confusion of China (the culture) with Chinese (the race). In a bit of amusing irony, this confusion comes partly from the intense xenophobia of the Chinese culture itself. Here's a hint: corruption and brutality are not strongly heritable traits.
: False liberal humility.
: And finally, organized forum postings by patriotic and/or compensated agents. Seriously, check for ACs and the recently-registered.
"They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
Makes me think of that scene from The IT Crowd about a 0-stress work place