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tl;dr There is technology in use now that can detect your emotional state and honesty from computer mouse movement.
Neuro-ID is a company that sells this technology. It can be set up for a company in 5 minutes time for a demo or installation. The alphabet soup agencies are in on it and it is certainly being replicated as we speak.
The study at the University of Arizona determined that when you are upset or confused your mouse movements are bigger (sloppier and slower). When you are happier they are faster and more accurate. This can also be used to detect dishonesty on questionaires, polls, etc. If your mouse hovers over any answer, you change answers, or your movement patterns shift between answers all of those indicate a problem. It knows how to adjust for noise; people tracing under words they read, bumping the mouse, etc. This data is compared against yourself and everyone, so it can see if you are always acting weird or just now. The technology works on any device, in any language, is encrypted, and can be easily employed.
The applications right now are fraud detection, insider threat, advertising, and gaming just to name a few. In fraud detection it is over 90% accurate in identifying fraud. So it really just focuses the dragnet. The implications to privacy and surveillance should be apparent.
For example 2 years ago they were in negotiations with Microsoft to use this technology to modify Xbox player behavior. They would detect if you were getting upset and adjust the difficulty accordingly with the end goal of getting you to play longer.
It was also used by loan companies to detect fraud and identify new patterns. So people often lie about having bankruptcies in their pasts, but future questions correlate more strongly to loan success. I.e. future divorce>old bankruptcy
It can also detect for countermeasures and control for them. That part isn’t fool proof, but the National Science Foundation is funding a 2 year study where they will employ and mitigate countermeasures.
They are also coming up on major venture capital that could propel it to grow even further. Neuro-ID is a small firm now, but it will grow. Also this technology is easily copied and used by any state or non-state actor.
This technology has incredible potential in surveillance (the NSA already uses it), fraud and lying detection, and ecommerce. Big firms and government agencies have already begun to purchase it. The whole enterprise is riddled with NDAs and security clearances.
At this time it can only be used to detect positive or negative emotions and how intense they are. This data is interpreted in the context in which it is employed. Longer term studies will be able to narrow in on the specific emotions expressed (so anger vs fear not just good vs bad) and probably even more.
This is a new level of surveillance that is possible, it will grow, it is already in use by major companies and government agencies. People need to know about this because right now they don’t. This is a major privacy issue and data imbalance. Once more the powerful have another tool by which to analyze and control the masses. Please let the people know. I will not be available for comment use the links provided.
