There is growing interest in the potential for a technology known as brain fingerprinting to be used in the fight against crime and terrorism, but it's far from reliable.
Its use without consent violates human rights. And importantly, the technology (as it currently exists) can be tricked.
Brain fingerprinting seeks to detect deception by essentially reading thoughts. It works by using electroencephelography (EEG) to read the electrical activity of the brain, with the aim of trying to identify a phenomenon known as the P300 response [DOI: 10.1097/00004691-199210000-00002] [DX].
The P300 response is a noticeable spike in the brain's electrical activity, which usually occurs within one-third of a second of being shown a familiar stimulus. The idea is that our subconscious brain has an uncontrollable and measurable response to familiar stimuli that the machine can register.
Imagine, for example, that a particular knife was used in a murder, and police show an image of it to their lead suspect who denies the crime. If the suspect registers a P300 response and thus a positive recognition of the knife, this would seem to suggest he's lying. Alternatively, if the suspect doesn't register a positive recognition, maybe police have the wrong guy.
Could you escape culpability for your crimes by taking a roofie afterward?
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday September 27 2017, @03:55PM (2 children)
And you might happen to be a similar height to the suspect, and have a similar hat.
Most evidence is circumstantial in one way or another. That's why we have trials, to present facts and allow a jury to make up its mind on the balance of probabilities.
If the suspect owns a similar knife, the defence can point this out.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 27 2017, @07:20PM (1 child)
He was 5 foot 9 inches, 180lbs, brown hair, brown eyes, in blue jeans, and a t-shirt... what is that half the men in the US.
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday September 27 2017, @10:01PM
And that's just what a defence lawyer can say to the jury.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk