Suspects' body language can blow their cover

[Rose Siding]

snip>
Avoiding eye contact with authorities is the kind of behavior that could indicate someone may be planning a terrorist attack, says Maccario, a Transportation Security Administration ( TSA) program analyst at Boston's Logan International Airport. "The fear of discovery changes people's behavior and body language," he says.

Next year, the TSA says it will train screeners at 40 airports in behavior analysis. The screeners will join a growing number of police officers learning to detect the subtle, often unspoken clues that terrorists and criminals could display.

The technique is called behavior detection or behavior-pattern recognition. It's rooted in the notion that people convey emotions in subconscious gestures, facial expressions, speech patterns and answers to simple questions such as what flight they are taking.
....
The American Civil Liberties Union is skeptical that police can detect criminals by studying people's actions and emotions. The organization worries that police will simply target minorities.

"When we begin to say to police officers that they're allowed to guess about who's dangerous, we're inviting the possibility of abuse," says Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's technology and liberty program.

USAToday, Yahoo link

related:

Airport security uses talk as tactic

The Transportation Security Administration plans to train screeners at 40 major airports next year to pick out possible terrorists by engaging travelers in a casual conversation to detect whether a person appears nervous or evasive and needs extra scrutiny.

The new security technique, already in use at some airports, adds a psychological dimension to screening by trying to find high-risk passengers based on how they act at checkpoints or boarding gates. (Related story: Body language can blow suspects' cover)

Passengers who raise suspicions will undergo extra physical screening and could face police questioning.

USAToday, Yahoo link

[bpilgrim]

1. if you fly, don't forget your meds, you may wind up in gitmo

or dead



peace

[superconnected]

64. so if you avoid eye contact,

You're now a terror suspect and of they can shoot and kill you.

I have no idea how I clicked on this msg and not the main one...

[regnaD kciN]

65. This reminds me of all those lists for parents...

...of "how to tell if your teenager is using drugs." Generally, the behaviors listed (acting distant from parents, keeping the door closed to their room, becoming sloppy in appearance, mood swings, being overinvolved with friends as opposed to family) were pretty much typical for all teens. And they were supposed to be "proof" of drug use? Sounds like the same "experts" who came up with those lists have moved on to the Vaterland Security Department.

:eyes:

[UpInArms]

2. that's pretty alarming

"avoiding eye contact"

next it will be

"eye contact show agression"

[pitohui]

9. eye contact does show aggression -- or sexual interest

who goes around making random eye contact w. strangers, that is just rude

i don't think this story is for real, they're yanking our chain

[hlthe2b]

17. Some cultures avoid eye contact---Navajo, for one....

It is part of their culture and teachings, since direct eye contact is considered aggressive and impolite. Yet another of our ridiculous failure to understand basic human behavior and cultural differences.

Anyone who works with animals knows that strong direct eye contact with a shy or already agressive dog will make the situation worse. Yet, because Americans think honesty can be equated to a willingness to "look ones opposition in the eye.." all else follows from that. :eyes:

[RaleighNCDUer]

23. When somebody is focused on making eye contact with me

I put my hand on my wallet.

All good politicians and con men know how to look you in the eye as they lie.

In my distant past, flirting with Scientology, I was trained to do it. It ain't that hard.

[AndyTiedye]

32. Finland Seems to be Like That Too

direct eye contact is considered aggressive and impolite.

[Jed Dilligan]

48. Have you read Mike Davis' "City of Quartz"?

Apparently, a lot of the tension behind the LA riots came from cultural differences in regard to eye contact. Koreans find eye contact disrespectful; black people (at least in south-central LA) find not making eye contact disrespectful. So every encounter between Korean store owner and black patron ended with both parties feeling disrespected.

I expect a lot of innocent Asians to trip this new wire in the TSA policy.

[hlthe2b]

50. No, I haven't but sounds interesting.....

And, not surprising, unfortunately....

[rocktivity]

62. DING DING DING! Pitohui, you're our grand prize winner!

...who goes around making random eye contact w. strangers, that is just rude.
Babies and very young children do, actually. But we not only forgive them, we tend to think it's cute. And why is that? Because THEY'RE NOT OLD ENOUGH TO REALIZE IT'S RUDE!

:headbang:
rocknation

[htuttle]

3. It's awfully hard to 'teach' somebody these things!

This is the sort of 'sense' that rookie cops spend their first few years learning on the job -- you can't pick it up at a weekend seminar by learning a few concrete 'indicators'/clues. If they didn't develop the 'spidey-sense' out of their own experience, more often than not they'll suspect far more people than they should (and miss the 'real' suspicious people in the mix).

They should just hire a bunch of ex-cab drivers (or bartenders...) instead. :shrug:

[Rose Siding]

11. Halliburton must have a Behaviorists R Us division

Thank goodness that criminals never never never alter their actions to avoid detection.

[Sabriel]

4. Sure, no one's EVER nervous about flying....

WTF? I know quite a few people who are nervous wrecks when they fly. I'd like to see them "engaged in conversation" right before they board.

[noamnety]

5. other people that avoid eye contact

people with a lazy eye
people that are painfully shy
people that feel unattractive
people that are culturally raised not to make eye contact (think of women that don't meet a strange man's gaze)

[ixion]

7. exactly...

not to mention so-called 'anti-social' behavior, bad moods, or any number of reasons.

What a great way to weed out any non-drones. :sarcasm:

[DavidDvorkin]

19. Also people with bad hearing

We tend to look at the mouths of those who are speaking to us. We're lip-reading.

[AndyTiedye]

33. Hearing Further Degraded by Just Getting off a Plane, In Many Cases

I have pretty normal hearing and I can't hear very well right after getting off a plane sometimes. It can take a while for the pressure to equalize.
Someone who is a bit hard of hearing to begin with might be almost deaf after getting off a plane.

[zonmoy]

45. don't forget people with autistic cluster disorders.

[Hekate]

52. People overwhelmed by crowds, lights & noise shut down in self-defense

Some people get hyper, very chatty trying to befriend everyone in sight. Some people shut down and get robotic, like me. Either way, the crowds, lights, and noise scenario is very depleting.

Imagine some half-trained bozo trying to "read" our body-language in an airport security line!

My unfortunate experience with TSA, confirmed by what I've read in the LA Times, is that TSA luggage checkers remain underpaid, undertrained, understaffed, and consequently have enormous turnover.

And now they're going to be eyeballing us for our suspicious body language?!

Under other circumstances -- such as an intelligently designed system -- this might be a good idea. Under the Bush administration it just makes me dread my next flight.

Hekate

[progressivebydesign]

61. I'm one of those over-sensitive types.

Flourescent lights, crowds, noise, etc., get me nervous and chatty and hyper and overwhelmed. I haven't flown in years because the airports are too much to handle for me. I enjoy the flights, and love the experience, just hate the airport experience. Now, with all of the changes, it's much worse at the airports as far as stress goes. Lucky I like to drive.

[progressivebydesign]

60. battered women. young people. n/t

[soothsayer]

6. omigod, most airport screeners can barely look for weapons

[pitohui]

8. now that's just silly

who makes eye contact w. strangers, that is just silly, i would never make eye contact w. a security guard or someone else i don't know that i'm just walking past, that's all i need, is some dude thinking this old lady is a desperate housewife trying to flirt w. him

i'm guessing some of these stories are those famous disinformation stories they talk abt it

but terrorists would have to be really dumb to believe this is the real plan for preventing them from getting on planes

[noamnety]

21. What are you saying?

I can't believe your first choice for eye contact isn't a stranger in uniform feeling up your breasts, and inspecting your butt for concealed items!

Every time I'm in that situation, my first thought is how can I be personable? How can I chat them up while they're groping me and make them feel at ease?

[bpilgrim]

28. individual weapons might be able to read personal signatures, firing immed

Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters advised on "future warfare" at the Army War College - prophesying in 1997 a coming "age of constant conflict"

...

Secured areas might be outposted by robotics and picketed by soldiers cued by local fusion centers that combine intelligence from sources as diverse as miniature roaming sensors and national-level systems. Population control might be established by electronically registering every inhabitant with whom the force comes in contact and alerting in response to any human concentrations that do not fit habitation profiles. Eventually, body signature sensors should identity fear, hostility, or positive demeanors on the part of the locals. Any means that can be developed to separate the hostile actor from the "sea of the people" is highly desirable, since, in urban operations, the enemy's ultimate camouflage is his humanity.

A model urban operation of the future might begin with a massive information operations effort that attacks not only systems but souls. Air and space forces would then isolate the city electronically and through fires, attack pre-selected targets with precision munitions, suppress air defenses, and impose barriers between urban sub-sectors. Army robotics parachute in to secure airfields and landing zones, followed by air-delivered troops with light armored vehicles to extend the perimeter. The next wave includes heavier ground systems and more personnel delivered by air and, in littoral cities, by Navy-Marine operations. Robotic systems push deeper into the urban area, followed by armored reconnaissance "moving fortresses," or combinations of separate vehicles, delivering firepower and dismountable forces to hostile zones. Behind the fighters, military police and intelligence personnel process the inhabitants, electronically reading their attitudes toward the intervention and cataloging them into a database immediately recoverable by every fire team in the city (even individual weapons might be able to read personal signatures, firing immediately upon cueing).

source...
http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/97autumn/peters.htm

welcome to the future

peace

[WhiteTara]

10. I never look at these TSA things

because when you look at them, they then use their extra screening techniques. What are these people talking about. We now have the Thought Police? Welcome to the Monkey House. This is a nightmare.
:scared:

[Lochloosa]

12. Israel does this everyday

They will walk up to anyone at anytime and engage them in casual conversations while checking the paperwork. They are trained to be aware of just the things stated in the article.

When was the last time you heard of an El Al airplane blowing up or hijacked.

Here is a good article that explains some of their thinking.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2097352.stm

(snip)

The difference between the Israeli and the American systems, he explains, is that the Israelis are looking for the terror suspect, while the Americans are looking for weapons.

At Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport, passengers - in particular non-Israelis - are interrogated at length by highly-trained screeners while plain-clothes security officials watch for suspicious behaviour.

Outside Israel, travellers experience thorough searches of their luggage, including not just repeated X-rays but also swabs to test for explosives and lengthy questioning.

But some passengers have reported that these measures are discriminatory and sometimes unpleasant, with Palestinians and their friends subjected to much stricter procedures, including body searches.

El Al uses rigorous computerised passenger profiling systems, which apparently looks for anomalies in a traveller's itinerary, finances and personal profile.

[GregW]

16. So do customs officers

Why don't they just send the TSA folks to customs school. I'll never forget the time a last-minute visa change caused me to be flagged when I entered Australia. I was very casually intercepted on my way to baggage claim, interrogated as we walked, and left to go on my way. Of course, they were looking for mules, but it's the same thing.

[DELUSIONAL]

18. I don't give a god damned what Israel does

their leaders are the trouble makers of the world.

These "wise" idiots also shoot children -- murder children with head shots.

Use another example -- don't use Israel.

That is one backward country that I would never ever want to visit.

Although some of the Israeli citizens are working hard for peace -- their government ignores these few sane citizens.

[SharonAnn]

20. Yes, and I was "of interest" to them on a trip. Good experience.

A young single woman, traveling alone, not Jewish, not affiliated with tour, not affiliated with a religious denomination. That was me. I went to Israel for two weeks and then Spain for two weeks because I had always wanted to see those countries.

Coming into and out of the country, the security agents (very tactfully and pleasantly) would call me out of line by name and engage me in conversation, asking questions. They would, of course, ask for my passport and travel itinerary, but were very pleasant and actually almost charming. I understood their interest because, after all, I had an unusual profile and they were right to check me out. It was not inconvenient but it was through. And, I think it was three separate times when entering and again when leaaving the country.

[The Stranger]

22. Interesting suggestion.

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/brooks1.html">The Israelization of America

[nodehopper]

35. that link

just took me to microsoft.com

??

[The Stranger]

36. Try this.

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/brooks1.html

[americanstranger]

37. Me, too. n/t

-as

[MisterP]

40. don't confuse causation and correlation

[gratuitous]

13. And what "cover" does a "suspect" need?

Make no mistake, we're talking here about people who, in the sole judgment of the airport screener who's watching several thousand people go by each shift, are "suspected" of doing something wrong. Not that they've actually done something wrong, mind you, but who might do something wrong.

Yet, when a white man tries to board a plane with a loaded gun that he "forgot" was in his luggage, it's "aw, go on with you, you lovable scamp" and nothing of consequence happens.

What are we spending so many billions of dollars on if we're seeing no measurable increase in security?

[slampoet]

14. I'm so glad that this STUDIED ARTICLE sets me straight!!!

All this time I thought that lack of eye contact means that the person was raised in Asia or that they were a rape victim.

[DELUSIONAL]

15. so they will have more innocent targets to shoot???

If you don't act like a jailed inmate -- the f-ing assholes will treat you like a criminals.

Now the f-ing assholes are going to shoot you if you don't act in a specific way.

So now the ex-McDonald employees are going to detect "terrorists" through a short course (with answers given so they can pass the tests). Sorry but NOTHING these f-ing assholes do will impress me. I grew up on secure military bases -- I know a bit about competent security -- and it ain't the low wage dumb ass people who work for TSA.

[The Flaming Red Head]

24. And what if you're just a spaz? nt

[politicat]

25. So, abuse survivors are going to get extra, invasive physical screening?

Wonderful. Lovely.

People who have lived with abuse as children or as spouses often don't look others in the eye. Women who have been raped tend not to make eye contact with strange men. Eye contact is about as reliable as homeopathy or scientology.

Why do we waste so much money on pseudoscience?

[Jose Diablo]

26. The next headline, "TSA agents to receive special training in Phrenology"

As has been proved early last century, there is a link between the bumps on a persons head, and their tendencies toward criminality. These tendencies toward criminality will now be searched for by the TSA.

Experts in Phrenology, a branch of psychology, have received a multi-billion dollar contract to train Transportation Security agents in the use of Phrenology to screen those with criminal tendencies.

A bill, sponsored by Republican Bill Frist, was passed recently with overwhelming support of the Republicans providing $3 Billion dollars to train those responsible for protecting our air travel. Only spotty resistance was offered by the opposition party with Joe Lieberman heading-up a coalition from the opposition party to co-author the bill.

Although, Phrenology has up until recently been discredited as proving anything about a person, sponsor Bill Frist stated that with new emphasis on potential terrorists, "No stone will be left unturned to protect Americans". Bill Frist, a fully trained physician is considered a medical expert due to his past experiences as a physician and part owner of a health insurance company HCA, thus few dare challenge his intimate knowledge of Phrenology.

[donkeyotay]

58. Frist's blind trust prevents him from knowing he got the $10 Billion

phrenology no-bid contract to keep us safe from fear. It seems like there have been more police shootings, including several locally. They just shot and critically wounded a young man whose parents had called the police twice earlier in the day saying it seemed there was something wrong with him, but the police said they couldn't do anything for them until they came out and shot him. This whole paradigm shift of making those who used to "protect and serve" into wanna be Special Forces is a bad idea. Oh. And we're still not safe from fear.

[Buns_of_Fire]

71. THERE'S Junior's next job!

He'll get to dress up in a TSA uniform (with official TSA Codpiece) and form loving relationships with everyone's head while he feels up their craniums ostensibly looking for suspicious bumps (especially the bald and balding ones!). Got wood? :evilgrin:

[LisaL]

27. I always avoid eye contact with authorities

in the airport. I guess I better start looking up.

[TrogL]

29. They're gonna catch a lot of Aspies

People on the autistic spectrum, especially those with Asperger's syndrome, do not exhibit normal body language.

• They don't make eye contact or too much eye contact
  
• They look around at things that an ordinary person wouldn't be interested in
  
• They look tense and upset in social situations
  
• They may wear untraditional clothes or look uncomfortable in "regular" clothes
  

When I got into a large department store, I soon have security guards shadowing me because they think I'm a shoplifter.

[tatertop]

30. I ALWAYS avoid eye contact with random cops

And I am guilty of nothing.
This is beyond silly to the point of
dangerous.

[AndyTiedye]

31. And Some People's Body Language Just Blows

Some people simply can't DO eye-contact.
It is something that most people do instinctively, but some don't.

This will likely result in a lot of hassle for people who have Aspergers Syndrome
as well as some people who simply don't see very well.

Those who are nervous about flying :scared: can now also be nervous about appearing nervous :scared::scared:

[symbolman]

34. I always look them STRAIGHT in the eyes

and LAUGH.. It makes THEM nervous and they basically do the drill and move your ass along.. you can tell real quick who's a prick or not. Usually I say something like, "You know, I remember when I used to light up a cigarette and smoke it all the way to the plane.."

And they'll say, "Oh yeah, those were the days, weren't they.."

A lot of these people are like COPS, they are BORED shitless - a lot of times when a Cop pulls you over, he may just be bored and want someone to talk to, I've talked my way out of a lot of tickets by just being a nice guy..

All these people get stink eye and yelled at by everyone they meet.. when they meet a NICE calm person it's a relief to them.

Give them a smile, their job SUCKS..

But also know that there is a law in place that if a TSA (I call it "Tough Shit Asshole") thinks that YOU have made a remark that's inappropriate somehow that they have the ability to write you up and you can receive a fine in the mail for up to $1500!! Hard to believe but true..

[mtnester]

38. Better never let GW on the stand then..

he gives away his lies like penny candy with his body language.

[Demeter]

39. This Applies In Spades To Bush, Cheney, Condi, Et al.

They have the most expressively guilty body language ever shown on TV.

[nolabels]

66. Kicky kick, kickedy kick, kick kicky kickedy kick......kick.....kicky.....

Like it took till post #39 to make that connection, it was the first thing that entered my thinking.

[0007]

41. John Gotti looked em all in the eye and Sammy "The Bull"

Gravano followed through.

What a bullshit fucking stupid goddamned article.

[SomewhereOutThere424]

42. You'd think taxpayer dollars could go to more than eye contact classes

Like maybe having technology that can detect dangerous things? When I was in penn station in NYC, they had police dogs that could sniff things out like that. Now I'm a person who's rather nervous, so I avoid eye contact even with my own friends. The police there didn't seem to care about me. They say what they like, but in the end the only prime suspects are arabic...and it's that kind of racial profiling that's probably gonna reign above anything else, beyond what the police dogs sniff out.

Just don't travel with dog treats O.o

[Spider Jerusalem]

43. That's fucking ridiculous.

And I suppose I probably shouldn't fly, now. I'm autistic (Asperger's Syndrome), and don't generally make eye contact when speaking to someone; doing so makes me intensely uncomfortable. I also don't make "normal" use of body language; I'm not wired for nonverbal communication. The idea that this is a reliable method of spotting potential threats is absurd.

[Wordie]

44. I hope they have factored in cultural differences in body language,

or this will simply be another situation of racial profiling. Cultures differ so widely in so many of these dimensions.

Avoiding eye contact with authorities? That seems like it could apply to lots of people who are not doing anything wrong at all.

This part of the article goes further into this problem:

Behavior detection is "a recognized and legitimate law enforcement tool," says George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley. "But it's also ripe for abuse. A person's observations are often colored by one's bias and prejudices."

Turley cites studies in which whites and minorities were shown photos of people of various races.

White subjects were far more likely to say the depicted minorities appeared dangerous, Turley says, while minorities viewed fellow minorities as non-threatening.

Turley says behavior detection could lead to more people being searched. Courts allow police searches based on a "reasonable suspicion" of wrongdoing. The suspicion has to be more than a hunch, he says.

Behavior-detection training "can be used as a virtual script for the abusive officer," Turley says. "It gives a ready-made list of elements that can be claimed as reasonable suspicion."

[sleipnir]

46. This already happened to me on a flight yesterday.

Flying out of the ole Midwest in Kansas City, the guard looked at me, looked at my ID, looked at me, asked me by my first name if I was having a good day, I said yes, then he proceeded to ask me if I had a good Christmas. Subtle, huh? I said Yes, as that was the honest answer to his question. I thought about making a point to him by saying that I had a great Ramadan, but I was already a few minutes late for my flight and thought better than to be troubled by an already overworked TSA guard.

It was very subtle, but the emphasis was definitely there. We both pretty much kept eye-contact the whole time, too.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

47. ever get those WAITERS/Waitresses that overdo the EYE CONTACT? Annoying

and creepy-
Both people in service jobs and customers are supposed to realize how to interact appropriately-
It's called social etiquette
and includes knowing when to break a glance before it turns into a rude stare.

Some of these people are just 24/7 searching for another person to latch on to--

[K-W]

49. Its not terribly difficult to train someone to act normally.

As someone with an anxiety disorder, this stuff always worries me. I really dont feel like getting searched and interrogated because I happen to be having an anxious day when I fly.

[TheBaldyMan]

51. Asperger Syndrome sufferers - shoot on sight n/t

[LostinVA]

53. That's great -- I have a bad stammer when I'm excited or nervous

Like when I';m getting ready to FLY..... I'll be sent down to Gitmo so fast my head will spin...

[HuffleClaw]

54. sounds to me like a simple excuse

to justify their rampant racial profiling.

[Orsino]

55. Facecrime.

Seems like horse-hockey to me. Just more excuses to shake down more people.

Is there any documented case of an actual terrorist getting nabbed only because of his body language? Or any case in which body language was what got the suspect noticed and searched?

[Javaman]

56. So according to this rational...

the blind, people with lazy eyes and shy people are automatically terrorists...

My head hurts...

[Solon]

57. So introverts and shy people are to be harrassed now?

What a BRILLIANT WASTE OF TIME!!! Goddamned idiots.

[progressivebydesign]

59. How do they differentiate from a nervous, anxious, traveller?

All of the things they describe would describe me in an airport, as an anxious flyer. Sweating? yep. Eye contact? nope Trembling? yep. Red face? probably. Then, drag me into a screening room for a more physical screening, that would really go well.

I understand the concept, but think it's bogus if it doesn't train them well enough to discern anxiety from flying to anxiety from criminal behavior. From the info we've all seen and read about terrorists, I don't recall anything to suggest they were nervous. I thought the line from the Bush Admin was that these terrorists were gung ho about doing us harm, and felt it was some religious honor?

[0007]

63. Professor Lotofsnot just told me a nose picker is a sure

sign of lying. If said nose picker eats his burgers, it is 100% confirmed he is a terrorist and may have a bomb on his person, that will take everyone out of the room.

[chat_noir]

67. "I wear my sunglasses at night"

Remember that Corey Hart song?

Will they ban sunglasses in the airport?

[Earth_First]

68. First, they came for your freedoms, NOW they have come for your THOUGHTS

The Thought Police.

It's a dangerous path we're traversing. Dangerous indeed.

[The Animator]

69. This is actually not too uncommon a practice in modern Law Enforcement.

Back, in 2000 I did a rid along with a member of my hometown Sheriff's Office. As we were riding he confided that one of the secrets for spoting potential trouble was drivers that forced themselves not to look in the direction of his squad car. They see his car, quickly turn their heads away from it, and not look back in that direction. This is also in conjunction with driving "too perfectly" being extremely careful of doing anything wrong out of fear for being pulled over. I would imagine most drivers do tend to sharpen up their act in the presence of a police car, but anyone going to that extreme to avoid police scrutiny, needs to be scrutinized a little more closely. The officer I was riding with told me that in his experience, most people are naturally curious, some will stare through the cops windows, some will smile and wave.

Imagine your driving a car with a body in the drunk, or a hundred kilos of cocain on the floorboard, or a nine year old alterboy bound with duct tape in the back seat, and a cop car just pulled up behind you... No lights, no sirens, just there. Or one pulls up beside your vehicle, and the cop in the passenger's seat casually glance over at you with those mirrored sunglasses on. Does he see something? Does he recognize me from my mug shot? If you get pulled over right now, you will no doubt spend the rest of your natural life in prison... or worse.

When your feeling a level of paranoia like that, your body language definitley changes to something recognizable to the trained eye.

[pitohui]

70. well since i don't drive around w. dead bodies in the trunk

i'll gotta take yr word for it

honestly, don't you realize, all you are saying is that these jerks use this technique

your experience don't prove the technique works!


i've had the light shined on me plenty to check and see if i was driving while black, fortunately i passed the audition, it ain't got nothing to do w. body language, that's what they tell the naive drive-along of course!

no cop could read minds or else how come all of us blondes, even we who are socially nervous and dysfunctional, have stories of getting away with being questioned while holding? hell, my neighbor even fooled the damn drug dog

they may pretend it's based on "gut" or it's based on "eye contact," but i strongly suspect that gut is just another word for prejudice