(With reporting by Caren Sachs)
Terrorists, beware! If the onerous security measures added after 9/11 haven’t done enough to deter the next airline terrorist plot, the cramped seats, baggage fees, and recent airplane crashes surely have made it less inviting. Who wants to pay $15 to check a bag that will just get blown up anyway?
The Transportation Security Administration, however, isn’t taking any chances. Hot on the heels (removed, please, as you walk through the metal detector) of installing controversial full-body scanners at a number of U.S. airports, the Department of Homeland Security is evaluating a new device that supposedly senses hostile intentions in people.
The idea behind the new scanner, dubbed “Future Attribute Screening Technology” or FAST, is that terrorists and criminals display certain behavioral and psychological mannerisms before committing an attack. Equipped with a variety of lasers and sensors, the scanner collects data about people’s gestures, facial expressions and voice to determine their level of hostility.
It’s unclear how the system distinguishes true criminals from all the other ordinarily peeved and marginally hostile travelers who just want to put their shoes and belts back on and board the plane. As reported by the New Scientist, the scanners are mobile enough to be transported to concert venues, sporting events, and the U.S. border region. But doubts remain whether they are rugged enough to be deployed at a Philadelphia Eagles home game.
Screening of emotional baggage stepped up
From what’s been revealed so far, FAST works like this: A person walks through a security checkpoint entranceway that contains a series of video, audio, laser, and infrared sensors. The sensors scan your body and send the data to a computer that analyzes your gestures, facial expressions, and voice to determine whether or not you are hostile.
The computer even detects your heart rate, breathing, temperature, and respiration rate to get a more accurate reading —all without any physical contact. Perhaps there’s a secondary market for the devices in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms.
If you’re thinking that this all bears resemblance to the “pre-crime” units in Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report,” you’re correct. But the reality is much scarier, as these devices are not some far off sci-fi scenario, but actively undergoing testing by DHS.
Last September, DHS conducted a field test on 144 people in Maryland, having each of them pass through a walkway covered in the sensors. Analysts were standing by to gather the incoming data to predict who amongst the human subjects might be deceptive. Before the experiment, DHS had to meet the necessary safety standards to make sure the scanners would not cause any emotional or physical harm to the subjects.
By 'disruptive devices' do they mean children?
A handful of test subjects were given “disruptive devices” to carry through the walkway. Some were told to act edgy and hostile. But most were not informed of the sensors — rather, they believed they were attending some sort of technology expo. Of the 23 subjects feigning hostility, many were detected. And not only because of their bad acting.
“We are running at about 78% accuracy of mal-intent detection and 80% on deception,” said DHS science spokesman, John Verrico. “We’re still very early on in this research, but it is looking promising.”
Missing from the discussion was consideration of how many false positives there were — that is, how many “innocent” people were detained for questioning because the device assumed hostile intent. If ever there was a cause for hostility, it is being detained on false charges. Frequent travelers and concert-goers can only hope that, if the system is ever rolled out, it’s because the error rate for both false negatives and false positives is judged to be very, very low.
Unfortunately, in the realm of security, a lack of accuracy doesn’t always doom a sexy new technology. Even after numerous scientific studies have cast doubt on polygraph tests, they are still used by law enforcement and private companies worldwide.
Beyond the questions of accuracy, skeptics of FAST are concerned about the privacy implications of a device that captures an array of personal information without a reasonable cause for search.
What happens to the data after a passenger is scanned and deemed not to be hostile? Is the data stored? DHS Spokesman Verrico said that the gathered data is never matched to a name, and that it is only used during the moment someone walks through the portal to determine whether they should be pulled over for questioning. As soon as a person has walked through the passageway, he said, the information is discarded.
One privacy advocate is not convinced FAST is worth worrying about yet. Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU’s Technology and Liberty Project, is far too skeptical of FAST’s accuracy to spend time debating the privacy issues. “Show me it works before [we] debate the civil liberties consequences,” he said.
In the meantime, travelers are free to enjoy the liquid restrictions, pat downs, and full body scans.
Looking for 'malintent' — won't find it in the dictionary
Also Interesting: