Homeland Security has funded a project called Future Attribute Screening Technology, or FAST.
FAST is a technology that measures bodily functions like heart-rate, breathing, eye-movement, facial temperature, and even blinking. Project manager Robert Burns believes heavily that this will be the future of airport security. He argues that over the past forty years there has been research to support that the body reacts naturally to high-stress situations. He believes that a terrorist with an intent to put people at risk will naturally show these signs, that he won’t be able to help it. He deems the research so effective that at the airport of the future "you may keep your shoes on, you don't need to take your jacket off and please keep your bottle of water."
I seriously hope that this is not the directition we are headed. First of all, anyone can show signs of stress for any number of reasons. A person could be stressed by a delayed flight, he or she could be stressed by the thought of flying, or maybe, if they’re like my mother, they don’t like traveling because the entire process from the number of people in the airport to the possibility of running late and missing a flight stresses them out. Also, some people find airport security intimidating, I know that I do. I know that if I was being questioned I would probably be nervous and fidgiting and looking away and breathing quicker, and my heart-rate would probably be higher as well. I do not believe that a nervous or stressed person necessarily has something to hide.
Second of all, terrorists are not normal people that get stressed out in normal situations. Someone who is planning to kill a number of people is not normal. They might be quite calm and collected right before they high-jack a plain. They might be able to pass right through those FAST detectors with a bomb in their suitcase because the airport doesn’t check their bags anymore.
I can see the use of such a system as a back-up plan, one that helps support the idea that someone is, in fact a security risk but I do not feel comfortable with the idea of getting rid of the rest of our security and relying on a machine that measure bodily functions. There is no better way of getting inside a person’s head than actually finding out their intent with actual evidence. Find the terrorist group, find the bomb, find the terrorist, but for Pete’s sake don’t be looking for bodily functions.
Article Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/06/security.screening/index.html#cnnSTCText
FAST is a technology that measures bodily functions like heart-rate, breathing, eye-movement, facial temperature, and even blinking. Project manager Robert Burns believes heavily that this will be the future of airport security. He argues that over the past forty years there has been research to support that the body reacts naturally to high-stress situations. He believes that a terrorist with an intent to put people at risk will naturally show these signs, that he won’t be able to help it. He deems the research so effective that at the airport of the future "you may keep your shoes on, you don't need to take your jacket off and please keep your bottle of water."
I seriously hope that this is not the directition we are headed. First of all, anyone can show signs of stress for any number of reasons. A person could be stressed by a delayed flight, he or she could be stressed by the thought of flying, or maybe, if they’re like my mother, they don’t like traveling because the entire process from the number of people in the airport to the possibility of running late and missing a flight stresses them out. Also, some people find airport security intimidating, I know that I do. I know that if I was being questioned I would probably be nervous and fidgiting and looking away and breathing quicker, and my heart-rate would probably be higher as well. I do not believe that a nervous or stressed person necessarily has something to hide.
Second of all, terrorists are not normal people that get stressed out in normal situations. Someone who is planning to kill a number of people is not normal. They might be quite calm and collected right before they high-jack a plain. They might be able to pass right through those FAST detectors with a bomb in their suitcase because the airport doesn’t check their bags anymore.
I can see the use of such a system as a back-up plan, one that helps support the idea that someone is, in fact a security risk but I do not feel comfortable with the idea of getting rid of the rest of our security and relying on a machine that measure bodily functions. There is no better way of getting inside a person’s head than actually finding out their intent with actual evidence. Find the terrorist group, find the bomb, find the terrorist, but for Pete’s sake don’t be looking for bodily functions.
Article Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/06/security.screening/index.html#cnnSTCText
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