Forget 'naked' scanners — airport security agents might soon be reading your mind. According to the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security is considering using new "mind reading" technology to foil terrorists. One such device, produced by Israeli company WeCU ("We See You"), projects images, such as symbols associated with terrorist groups, onto a screen. Censors detect suspicious reactions, such as diverted eyes, faster breathing, and increased heart rate, and determine who should get more thorough screening. Is mind reading a necessary next step to make us safer, or an unacceptable invasion of privacy?
This means more scrutiny for terrorists, and less for grandma: Mind-reading technologies won't just "catch terrorists and keep passengers safe," says Stan Shyshkin in Brick House Security. They'll make getting through the security checkpoints far less of a hassle by eliminating the need for "random security checks." We'll all benefit when security workers don't have to waste time on people who clearly aren't terrorists, like "80-year-old grandmothers."
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