Lie detector for Skype calls
- January 8, 2007 2:44 PM |
- By Paul Jay
by Paul Jay, CBC News Online
Polygraph or lie detector tests have a long history on television police shows, but the technology hasn't had much luck standing up in courts.
That hasn't prevented an Israeli company from offering downloadeable software capable of monitoring voice fluctuations. The KishKish Lie Detector was released in December and made available for use with VoIP provider Skype. And according to the latest news, it's selling like hotcakes.
Israeli has been on the cutting edge of lie-detector technology. Two years ago a U.S. company called V Entertainment was at the 2004 CES show offering a lie detector made from Israeli technology small enough to fit on a pair of eyeglasses.
Which is an interesting and maybe a tad frightening development. But while the technology brings up a host of privacy issues, it also begs a basic question: if polygraphs don't hold up in court, how reliable can they be in real life?
About the Authors
- Tara Kimura
is a multimedia producer for CBCNews.ca.
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Comment (1)
Forget deciphering the stress in a caller's voice. Given the wildly variable quality of Skype connections, I'm usually happy to hear the other party and be heard.
The kishkish website explains the voice-stress theory but offers no evidence nor makes any claims about the product. But in one story a company spokesman claimed an accuracy rate of 90 per cent.
Worth noting that this is Windows-only. Mac folks must rely on less sophisticated, but equally effective, ways of rooting out liars.
Finally, it can't be "selling like hotcakes." For now, KishKish is giving it away. And lots of people will download anything that's free.