[IP] more on Which Travelers Have 'Hostile Intent'?
Begin forwarded message:
From: Mary Shaw <mary.shaw@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: August 22, 2006 9:24:21 AM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Which Travelers Have 'Hostile Intent'?
Dave,
It isn't pure hokum, though. Back in kinder, gentler times -- the
last century -- I was on vacation at a place where the guests mingle
freely. Another guest was a customs inspector at a minor crossing to
the north. I remember him saying that it wasn't too hard to choose
people for extra attention -- they sweated, fidgeted, wouldn't make
eye contact, ...
So profiling isn't new, and estimating risk based on physiological
cues isn't new. What does seem to be new is the anxiety about the
possibility of any Type II (false negative) errors at all. That leads
to reasoning of the form "Technique X can't totally eliminate Type II
errors without unacceptable effect Y (for example, because Technique
X can't identify sociopaths), therefore Technique X should not be
used at all." This, of course, is poor reasoning. Most security in
the real world uses numerous filters of various kinds, intending that
they be complementary.
The thing I find troubling in the current climate is the low weight
put on Type I (false positive) errors and personal disruption to
innocent bystanders (including privacy violation). In the end we
need a reasonable balance, but right now I think it's tilted too far.
Mary
Mary
On 8/22/06, David Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Begin forwarded message:
From: Brett Glass <brett@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: August 21, 2006 8:20:59 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx, ip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Which Travelers Have 'Hostile Intent'?
At 12:54 PM 8/21/2006, David Farber wrote:
> This sounds like alie detector and they have been proven not to
> work djf
Actually, it sounds a lot like the "E-meter." And, like the E-meter,
it seems to be part of a scam that takes in only the gullible.
--Brett Glass
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