Israeli boffins invent airport lie detector

[Insider]

Israeli boffins invent airport lie detector

By Nick Farrell: Friday 18 November 2005, 06:39

ISRAELI scientists have come up with a non-invasive lie detector that can be used at airports and can tell if you are lying to security staff.
Tested in Russia, the two-stage GK-1 voice analyser requires that passengers don headphones at a console and answer "yes" or "no" into a microphone to questions.

Apparently the software picks up uncontrollable tremors in the voice that give away liars or those with something to hide.

The device, designed by the Israeli outfit Nemesysco, has already found one person to be planning something illegal among the testing team.

The GK-1 is expected to cost between $10,000-$30,000 when marketed and may see use in Moscow soon. Several countries had expressed interest in the machine.

The test takes between 30-75 seconds and those who fail can be taken aside for more intensive questioning.

However, it is unlikely that they thought this one through. Everyone is guilty of something. It will catch those who have used drugs, while having no intention to smuggle the things.

So if you have ever had a joint in your life, or had your mum pack your bag for you, you can expect to be harassed by Airport security for the rest of you life.

[Redstone]

Fortunately Nemesysco's lie detector seems not to work.

Two Swedish professors of linguistics, Anders Eriksson and Francisco Lacerda have published an article called "Charlatantry in forensic speech science" in an international magazine for voice experts working for the police and security services. THere they condemn the use of speech analysis for lie detection.

But Nemesysco demanded that the article should be withdrawn from the online version of the magazine, and the publisher Eqinox did so.

Read Equinox apology for insulting Nemesysco: Eriksson

Nemesysco's lawyers have also sent letters to the Swedish professors where they threaten to sue them for defamation if they publish similar articles again.


Read more from the University of Stockholm: Stockholm University - News and events - Conference: Discrimination and Persecution of Roma, Sinti and Travellers