Airport Facial Recognition System Detects Lying

Image Credit: UK Daily MailWith the 10^th anniversary of 9/11 looming, many people are probably wondering where airport security will go from here.

Although the TSA claims it will be moving away from the most invasive aspects of its screening procedures, it’s unclear what technology they’ll adopt in the future. So, let’s look to Britain to find out what’s next: lie detectors that use facial recognition technology.

Covert lie detectors are being installed at a U.K. airport to detect passengers who are lying to immigration and security officials. The high-definition video and thermal imaging cameras pick up otherwise undetectable facial expressions and changes in a person’s body temperature, which are tell-tale signs of lying. Then, the captured images are compared to a database of photos that illustrate the signs of lying, from a slight eye movement to a quick mouth twitch.

In contrast to conventional lie detectors, these new cameras will catch passengers unaware, so they won’t know they’re being watched or attempt to change their behavior. But the covert nature is also what has British privacy advocates crying foul.

The system, which has a current success rate of 60-70 percent, is still being developed. But it will be used in real-world tests soon.

Perhaps in the future these facial recognition lie detectors will be used in conjunction with the TSA’s new behavior-based security screening methods, which closely resemble Israel’s.