A new system, dubbed HandShake by its developers, may scan the brains of U.S. soldiers and their allies in combat theaters to asses signs of disloyalty, potentially protecting them from insider attacks.
HandShake was developed by a company named Veritas, according to Activist Post , and is indicative of a larger trend in neuroscience that sees brain research applied in areas of predictive behavior. The technology utilizes specialized brain scans which can be used to monitor both U.S. troops and our allies for signs of disloyalty.
Could a Brain Scan Protect U.S. Troops from Insider Attacks? http://t.co/eaLWpPBa2i by @DefTechPat pic.twitter.com/dOamraKVam
— Defense One (@DefenseOne) July 16, 2014
Though instances of insider attacks are statistically low in the U.S. Military, new interest is being taken in evaluating potential extremist threats from within. Veritas Scientific markets the HandShake technology, which was developed by a former U.S. Army counterintelligence agent, as a solution to the problem.
Using HandShake, a soldier would place a specially designed helmet on a subject, whether another military member or ally, who would then be shown a series of images. Electrodes fitted within the helmet are capable of reading electromagnetic signals in the brain while also scanning for blood flow changes. While most of the images shown would be benign in nature, some would be designed to trigger a reaction in the brain of a person who poses a potential insider threat, Defense One claims.
What an own goal! Military to brain scan troops to find “betrayal”. Wait til the public demands this for politicians! http://t.co/sxjrYIVrPm — iain carstairs (@iain39) July 18, 2014
When a test subject recognizes an image of emotional significance to them, their brain reacts with a slight 200 to 500 millisecond “hiccup” that is detectable via EEG. In the HandShake system, scans of blood flow in the brain back up the EEG data. After being processed through an algorithm, the developer claims an 80 to 90 percent accurate reading of a subject’s threat potential.
Brain imaging techniques are increasingly being geared toward predictive behavior. As The Inquisitr has previously reported, brain scans have shown promise in detecting the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The HandShake system, however, remains unique in its pre-crime application, a fact that is concerning to some.
Adam Lamparello, assistant professor of law at Indiana Tech Law School, points out that “Measures of perceptions don’t exactly measure truth. And that’s why the law has an evidentiary problem with this.” While Veritas systems concedes that images must be selected “very, very carefully to cut down on the potential false positives,” fears that the technology will trickle into the civilian market have already arisen. In the “war on whistleblowers,” entirely new dimensions may be added to arguments over civil rights and privacy thanks to brain scan technology.
[Image via Jabbajabba ]