Telephone lie detector claims to catch fibbersBy NICK McDERMOTT Last updated at
22:46pm on 17th December 2006 Reader comments (0)
All smiles: But is she lying?
It could be the perfect tool for suspicious spouses wanting to check whether
their loved ones are playing away from home. A new telephone lie detector
system promises to pick up on tell-tale signs of stress in a caller's voice
whenever they tell a fib.
Available for free, the Kishkish lie detector can be easily downloaded from
the web and used by those who make phone calls over the internet. Scientists
have found that frequencies in the human voice are sensitive to honesty,
becoming higher when a person is lying. This is because in moments of stress,
such as telling a lie, our muscles tighten as our body prepares to flee or
fight causing the pitch of our voice to alter. The inventors of the lie
detector claim the software mimics police technology by monitoring the stress
levels of the person speaking on the phone to judge whether they are telling
the truth. Already 320,000 people have downloaded the lie detector system.
Using the infamous example of Bill Clinton's denial about his relationship with
Monica Lewinsky, the developers show on their website a graph which rises as he
utters the lie: 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman.' The
software measures stress levels between one and 100, with a
green light which shows when stress levels are normal, which then changes to
red when they rise to high, allowing the user to gauge whether the other person
is lying. Many police forces across America use the controversial technology
when interviewing crime suspects, and it has also been used by the US military
in the 'war on terror'. The lie detector is currently available for those who
make calls using Skype technology. Skype, which has over 100 million
registered users worldwide, is one of the best known of several internet-based
phone systems which allow callers to make free calls around the world. Using
the communication software, calls to other computers are free, while other
calls to landlines are charged at around 1p a minute. Paul Amery, director of
Skype developer program, said: 'This is a really neat application, and the kind
of thing we want to see more of. The Kishkish team has managed perfectly to
integrate this unique application to meet the needs
of our clients.' 'Lie detector is the latest in a variety of products in our
premium add-on program which greatly enhance the Skype communication
experience. Extras are all about helping end users do more with Skype, and this
will certainly encourage it,' said Dr Zvi Marom from the programmes makers,
BATM. 'We are delighted to be able to introduce this unique software to
Skype's premium offering and will continue to work closely with them to develop
new software-based communication applications.'
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