Future Attribute Screening Technology: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:53, 27 June 2011

Revision as of 11:58, 27 June 2011

Line 36:

Due to the ability of the system to 'read people's thoughts', it is potentially in violation of privacy laws such as the [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourth]] and [[Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution]]. Of particular note is radio host [[Alex Jones (radio host)|Alex Jones']] broadcast which emphasises the controversial nature of the program.<ref>YouTube. "Alex Reviews DHS's FAST: The Machine That Reads "Malintent Minds" on The Alex Jones Show". Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huj2ntG9MOY. Retrieved 2010-03-12</ref>

Other researchers such as Tom Ormerod, from the Investigative Expertise Unit at Lancaster University, argue that ordinary travel anxieties could cause an enormous number of false positives -- "'Even having an iris scan or fingerprint read at immigration is enough to raise the heart rate of most legitimate travellers,' says Ormerod." Others noted that the basic premise may be flawed. Steven Aftergood, a senior research analyst at the Federation of American Scientists, stated "I believe that the premise of this approach — that there is an identifiable physiological signature uniquely associated with malicious intent — is mistaken. To my knowledge, it has not been demonstrated." Altergood also raised concerns about false positives. The Nature article in which he was quoted went on to note that he thinks "they will produce a large proportion of false positives, frequently tagging innocent people as potential terrorists and making the system unworkable in a busy airport." <ref>Nature. "Terrorist 'pre-crime' detector field tested in United States". Available at http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110527/full/news.2011.323.html</ref>

== See Also ==