'Spot' teams to spy on passengers (The Times UK)

[magellan]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2320784,00.html

ELITE teams of security officers are to be trained to monitor passenger behaviour at airports in a new attempt to combat terrorism.

The “behaviour detection squads” will patrol terminals to monitor the gestures, conversations and facial expressions of passengers. One of their aims will be to spot those who may be concealing fear or anxiety.

People deemed to be acting suspiciously will be taken for questioning and prevented from flying if they fail to explain their actions.

UK trainers have studied the techniques in America, where behaviour detection squads are already deployed at airports.

snip...more

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. The dreaded brownshirts have arrived

http://cronus.com/fascism



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[Matariki]

2. what a weird world we're creating

and now, would you please step into the mind-reading machine because you seem a bit anxious or fearful. what is there to fear - IF YOU'RE INNOCENT??

[unblock]

3. fortunately, no one fears air travel except terrorists

:eyes:

:wtf:

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Yeah, because as well as the 'normal' fears some have of flying

we're now told by the government that carry on bags that are accepted everywhere else in the world are too dangerous for flights taking off from the UK. But we shouldn't find all the restrictions and leaks from government 'worrying, or they'll pull us of the plane.

This would probably just lead to any real terrorists taking some drug to calm them before the flight anyway.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Are freccles next ?

Presumably these "security officers" will on the payroll of Oxy Balance or Zit Zapper on a hunt and detain mission for people guilty of having spots. Will freccles and moles be next I ask myself.

The whole issue reminds me of Pink Floyd's The Wall :

Good morning, Worm your honor.
The crown will plainly show
The prisoner who now stands before you
Was caught red-handed showing feelings
Showing feelings of an almost human nature;

Note - use of the word "crown" conveys the UK.

[jimshoes]

6. Thought Police...

How 1984ish. Your "down with the BFEE" T shirt probably won't pass muster either if this comes to pass.

[magellan]

7. It's already come to pass

From further down the page:

"In America behaviour detection officers are working at a dozen airports, including Washington Dulles and Boston Logan. The programme, called Screening Passengers by Observation Technique, or Spot, is run by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA)."

The TSA, doesn't that give you the warm fuzzies? And get this:

"In particular, officers are trained to recognise concealed emotion, such as fear or anxiety. These so-called “micro-facial expressions” appear on a person’s face for 1/25th of a second. “They are so fast, that unless you’ve been trained you don’t see them,” said Ekman."

Yessiree, they can tell from a facial tick if you're worth questioning or not. Try not to think of this next time you're in an airport, or you might subconsciously give someone cause to interrogate you.

[NYC]

10. 1/25th of a second.

So the people hired to do this job have really good eyesight? They have to see clearly during that 1/25th of a second.

Television requires 1/10 of a second persistence of vision.

I'm not saying something can't be seen in 1/25th of a second, but can it be seen enough to justify interrogation of innocent people?

[DavidDvorkin]

8. This crap is on the level of astrology

Or mediums.

It would be oppressive enough even if it were valid (because who doesn't experience moments of fear and tension when in an airport, especially nowadays?), but its lack of a solid empirical basis, and the absurdity of "trained beahviour detecion squads" makes it that much worse.

[pitohui]

9. as they said in "a clockwork orange"

"it's a job for them who are of job age"

sure it's bullshit and makework but you can bet there will be people making big $$$ off it, including the "creators" and "inventors" of bogus facial tic reading theory

i think it will be used to provide pretext for interrogating people they plan to interrogate anyways

[yorkiemommie1]

11. i suppose if one is frantically needing to use a restroom

and is looking for one, s/he can count on being taken aside! or is in any kind of physical or emotional discomfort!

[SquireJons]

12. I posted a comment about this yesterday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2465416&mesg_id=2465504

I think it's worth noting that the article I read discussed the number of people who had been detained, verses the number of people who were actually charged with doing anything wrong. There were over 900 detained but only three persons faced charges. And these individuals crimes had nothing to do with terrorism, instead they were charged with being illegally in the country or drug charges. Obviously very dangerous people.

It's getting to the point where the very concept of civil liberties is going to be considered aid and comfort to the 'enemy' and the enemy is everyone who is not a neocon republican. Sigh... I want my country back.