The new eye in the sky

[JMT]

The tiny airline spy that spots bombers in the blink of an eye

dailymail.co.uk
10th February 2007

Tiny cameras the size of a fingernail linked to spe******t computers are to be used to monitor the behaviour of airline passengers as part of the war on terrorism.

Cameras fitted to seat-backs will record every twitch, blink, facial expression or suspicious movement before sending the data to onboard software which will check it against individual passenger profiles.

Scientists from Britain and Germany are spending £25million developing a system which they hope will make it virtually impossible to hijack an airliner by providing pilots and cabin crew with an early warning of a possible terrorist attack such as 9/11.



They say that rapid eye movements, blinking excessively, licking lips or ways of stroking hair or ears are classic symptoms of somebody trying to conceal something.

A separate microphone will hear and record even whispered remarks. Islamic suicide bombers are known to whisper texts from the Koran in the moments before they explode bombs.

The software being developed by the scientists will be so sophisticated that it will be able to take account of nervous flyers or people with a natural twitch, helping to ensure there are no false alarms.

"We're trying to develop technologies that indicate the differences between normal passengers and those who may be a threat to others, or themselves," said Catherine Neary of BAE Systems.

Mrs Neary, team leader of the Onboard Threat Detection System for the Paris-based Security Of Aircraft In The Future European Environment (SAFEE) project, added: "Blink rates come from lie-detection research and suggest the stress level is higher than normal."

The project is also developing automated flight controls that will prevent a hijacker taking over an airliner and sensors at the aircraft's doors to detect if someone is carrying explosives or chemicals.

Mrs Neary said that under the Data Protection Act, all video, audio and other recordings would be destroyed at the end of every flight so that passengers' civil liberties were not infringed.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said: "Watching people constantly on aircraft and trying to work out patterns of behaviour is a difficult road to travel.

"I suspect that it will put people off flying because they will feel uncomfortable if their every blink and twitch is being monitored."

Airlines gave the scheme a cautious welcome, indicating it would be too expensive to fit on existing commercial aircraft and that it would probably be ten years before such systems were fitted to new planes.

A British Airways spokeswoman said: "While we welcome new research and development which advances aviation security, we believe the emphasis and funding for any new initiatives would be better placed on preventing terrorists boarding aircraft in the first place.

"For example, research and development of better screening and detection equipment on the ground would be of more value at this time."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

[V. Barbarino]

This is so dumb...

[Mattivi]

agree pretty stupid, they will be grounding a plane because some poor bloke decided to do a bump before boarding the plane.

[yume]

Who is coming up with this crap? What if I have dry contact lenses? What if I feel like fucking with everyone and blink a lot on purpose? What if I am lying to the girl sitting next to me about how much money I make? What if I'm watching Power Puff Girls on my laptop, and nervous the other passengers will see? What if I have Tourette's? Are they going to arrest me for blinking excessively on an aircraft?

What if I'm whispering to my Arabic girlfriend telling her to go wait for me in the bathroom for a little mile high club fun?

"Sorry sir, but your excessive blinking is a threat to national security, we're going to have to fly you over to Eastern Europe and torture you until you tell us what you've been up to."

"Tower, we have a blinker on flight 93. Permission to take him out?"

:P

[DaGoose]

I think I'll just put some chewing gum over the cam so i can have some privacy and not feel like a fuckin spotlight is on me for the whole flight. I hate that feeling.

Besides....what are they gonna do if someone looks suspicious? Throw them off of the plane? Put a bullet in their head? What?

[Oni]

Do they not realize that pretty much EVERYONE has something to hide? The guy sitting next to me on my last flight was trying to pick me up and he was married. Yes, he was blinking a lot and was nervous. This is so stupid.