Facial Profiling

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Homeland Security and all exit and entry points into America will eventually be using computers that can read thoughts of travelers.Photo by Ron Laytner, Edit International

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By: Fabian Hernandez
Copyright
Edit International

The passenger was smiling though his knees were shaking. He was going through security at JFK airport in New York. His bags had been checked and he was almost through – except for one more man to walk by….

Suddenly, he was grabbed by two air security officers, handcuffed and marched away.

Why?

He’d been spotted by computer facial recognition software.
The camera had noted that, though he was smiling, his eyes were shifting down and to the right and every time he smiled, his lips would turn down at smile’s end into a grimace. His own nervous system betrayed him and the biometric security system alerted the officials.

Later, after being taken to a questioning room- it was discovered he had been to Pakistan four years earlier and had attended terrorist training classes.

This did not happen – YET!

But not too far in the future, it will.

Terror prevention is about to change. The US Department of Homeland security already invested $20 million dollars in what is called mal-intent technology, something the Israelis have perfected using human security spotters. But even the Israelis are now calling for a biometric database on all citizens.

It may be some time before mal-intent technology is in use everywhere, but it’s surely coming.

This is how it works:

As a terrorist walks through the airport security line his body begins to produce three substances in response to stress that can trigger an alert.

His nerves cause the release of norepinephrine into the blood. His eyes dilate, heart rate increases, and his breathing becomes heavier. Acetylcholine is the next chemical that follows, causing him to sweat. Finally, the brain releases endorphins into the bloodstream causing a numbing feeling.
On the outside he seems like any other traveler. But on the inside there are red flags signaling that he wants to blow up an airplane.

Here is how it affects you. The system of real time scanners and sensors detect behavioral and physiological changes going on in your body.

Your body’s temperature, heart rate, respiration frequency, and pupil dilation will all be analyzed through biometric surveillance.

If suspicion of your intentions arises, you will be taken into another room for primary and secondary screening. There, you will be asked a series of questions while the scanners continue to work.

At the Department of Homeland Security’s Advanced Research Facility scientist Bob Burns claims prevention is the objective, “We’re trying to detect a crime before it occurs.”

His agency’s goal is to replace unreliable low- tech detection with a flawless computer monitored system. It will be another example of Technology replacing humans in the workforce but, for good reason. People resent it when machines replace humans but, not when it comes to safety.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) tried SPOT (Screening of Passenger by Observation Techniques) at 116 airports in America and the statistics revealed a dismal effectiveness towards combing out terrorists.

In recent years security teams have extracted over 150,000 people from airport crowds which resulted in about 1000 arrests.. The passengers detained either had an outstanding warrant, were illegal aliens, or were in possession of drugs.
None of the arrests were related to terrorism.

SPOT Security failed to identify 16 terror suspects who had ties with terror groups and failed attacks on major cities including the recent New York car bomb scare.

To many, the news of Smart Technology that reads you from the inside out sounds like science fiction. Thanks to the digital revolution, this will soon be possible.

Homeland security will no longer stand by and wait for thousands of people to die. Project scientists are working day and night to produce the technology that could prevent a future disaster.

Paul Ekman is America’s top researcher for silent signals used in terror plots. He believes the problem is a lack of SPOT officers. He thinks more money ought to be spent on hiring better trained officers in higher numbers.

The potential for this surveillance is almost unlimited. Eventually, these methods will be used in other aspects of our lives. Here are some possibilities:

Fear at major sporting events will be reduced among fans. Police will no longer shoot unarmed people as often once their faces are instantly studied. Racial profiling will be reduced.

Public Transportation will be safer. Christmas shoppers will shop in peace. Moments meant for celebration and joy, will be just that.

We live in an uncertain world. Uncertain for many reasons and wondering whether or not tomorrow will come. These days, there is a harsh reality of terror striking at any time.

It would be great if we could turn back the clock and return to a time where fear and travel were not always linked, the days before September eleventh.

The authorities responsible for civilian protection are focused on assuring safety while traveling. They are developing our protector - biometric Smart Technology.

On the other hand, we are arriving to the future that many of us had once dreaded. Technology will control us but perhaps it is our destiny.

But isn’t your family’s safety worth it? A smart computer might save them from being blown up.



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