The European Union is providing funding for human behaviour-watch programmes in the war against terror, sparking fears that the EU community itself will foster suspicion. Airports are among areas that attract the most suspicion including increased surveillance of bathrooms and express check-ins, as the common belief is that terrorists tend move quickly, need privacy and almost never stop for coffee.
“We monitor all deviant behaviour,” according to the Dutch research institute TNO Defence and Security member Maarten Hogervorst. New technology will also be used to monitor heart rates “because a terrorist is nervous as hell,” according to fellow TNO official Frank Kooi.
TNO is a partner in the ADABTS (Automatic Detection of Abnormal Behaviour and Threats in Crowded Spaces) programme, one of several hundred security projects that operate under the EU Security system. Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a European-wide directive was issued by Brussels calling for new techniques under fears that the market may be dominated by US security firms.
Hogervorst’s team receives funding from the EU for investigating human behaviour via security cameras in inner cities, airports and football stadiums. “We define what constitutes suspicious behaviour through interviews with security staff and we develop software accordingly,” Hogervorst stated. “If security staff think someone moving rapidly through a crowd is suspicious, then that’s the kind of images they’re going to get”.
However, in a report by Danish newspaper Politiken, a spokesperson for the progressive research group Trans-national International, Ben Hayes, warned that the increased security may lead to Orwellian tactics which could make everyone a suspect. The concern is that increased awareness of the technology will lead to changes in human behaviour and that big brother tactics will create a loss of innocence as the public evolves its common actions to appear less suspicious.
Why do I have to read each time ‘Orwell-like’ about security fears ?
‘1984’ is a piece of cake compared to ‘We’ (Russian novel – best dystopian novel so far) of which Orwell took its inspiration ;)
I am shocked that the Danish newspaper Politiken would cast a shadow on Orwellian tactics since they fully support all Orwellian tactics here in Denmark (also know as Northwest Korea).
Only a really stupid suicide bomber would attach a remotely-controlled bomb to someone else’s luggage.
>If a remotely-controlled bomb is attached to someone’s unattended luggage, the luggage’s owner won’t be “nervous as hell” because he doesn’t know anything.
Yes, but that sort of threat is not what this sort of security/screening is aimed at. If agencies adopt this sort of security it should be as part of the whole and not a replacement for other methods.
In the situation that you mention, xray/search of the baggage and explosive detectors would be the way to go, along with screening of airport staff and encouraging passengers to be responsible for their luggage (packing it, making sure that it’s not interfered with before check in).
Ultimately though, no security system can be 100% effective. It’s just about comparing the actual “loss of freedoms” and costs with the expected loss of life and financial losses and making the equation balance.
If a remotely-controlled bomb is attached to someone’s unattended luggage, the luggage’s owner won’t be “nervous as hell” because he doesn’t know anything.
“Much simpler and more effective to profile by race, age and sex for enhanced searching at key check-points.”
Silly suggestion!!
Next thing you know the EU will monitor each persons move for ” security against terrorism” look out next time you do or think anything.
Im sure lots of people will get randomly stop because of the heart rate, just the fact that they are monitor makes a lot of people nervous not relax.
Orwellian wishes coming true near you soon!!
Damn straight. Without having looked into it, I suspect that if you told an EL AL security chap that he had to look at a representative sample rather than following his nose, he’d laugh in your face.
Much simpler and more effective to profile by race, age and sex for enhanced searching at key check-points. How many Nordic female 60-year-old terrorists are there?