I don't know how much credence to put into this report, but it's worth
a quick read....
Barry
http://blogs.computerworld.com/18388/homeland_security_testing_mind_reading_terrorist_pre_crime_detectors
Darlene Storm
June 1, 2011 - 8:07 P.M.
Homeland Security testing mind-reading terrorist 'pre-crime' detectors
Many times, technologies from popular science fiction movies have
later blended with real science and technology to become reality.
Deployment of just such surveillance technology, somewhere between
mind-reading machines and a "pre-crime" program, is currently being
tested against real life to remotely detect terrorists or assassins,
to find people with malicious intentions.
So whether someone cut you off in traffic or you had a spat with your
significant other, if you are having adrenaline-driven aggressive
thoughts and you are in northeastern USA, you might quickly take a
chill pill because that's where terrorist "pre-crime" detectors are
being tested by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
According to Nature magazine, in an undisclosed location in the
northeast, Homeland Security has been testing its Future Attribute
Screening Technology (FAST) program which is designed to 'sense' and
spot people who intend to commit a terrorist act. Critics of FAST have
compared the system to the 'pre-crime' concept that was made famous in
the film Minority Report. FAST technology uses remote sensors to
detect when a person experiences irregular physiological properties
like increased heart rate and darting eye movements that are
supposedly associated with malicious intent.
FAST merges technology with behavioral science [PDF] and has been in
development since 2008. According to the DHS privacy impact document,
there are five remote sensors that can measure heart and respiration
rates, and remote eye trackers that can measure pupils, position and
gaze of eyes. There are also thermal cameras as well as audio to
analyze pitch changes in human voices. High resolution video is used
to analyze facial expressions and body movement. "Other sensor types
such as pheromones detection are also under consideration." Previous
FAST testing involved people passing through the system while role-
playing that they would carry out a "disruptive act."
As TechEye noted, "DHS claimed the machine was accurate 70 percent of
the time [and] the other 30 percent will probably get out of
Guantanamo Bay in a couple of years."
DHS has compared FAST to lie detector tests, except it does not
involve active questioning of the subject. The non-contact sensors
measure sweating and the steadiness of a person's gaze to judge state
of mind. Although there is no mention of 'precog' mutants like in
Minority Report, it does bring to mind the pre-crime program from the
movie. Aren't terrorists trained to avoid detection and possibly beat
lie detector tests?
Tom Ormerod, a psychologist in the Investigative Expertise Unit at
Lancaster University, UK, told Nature, "Even having an iris scan or
fingerprint read at immigration is enough to raise the heart rate of
most legitimate travelers." Other critics have been concerned about
"false positives." For example, some travelers might have some of the
physical responses that are supposedly signs of mal-intent if they
were about to be groped by TSA agents in airport security.
Yes, FAST is much more advanced than a "mood ring" or stress detector,
but for people who feel like false positives can grind against the
grain of liberty, then perhaps attempt to be very mellow in public? If
you don't travel much, then let's hope that experienced security or
customs agents can use their better judgment to determine that is why
you are nervous.
_______________________________________________
Futurework mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
