Emerging Neurotechnologies for Lie-Detection: Promises and Perils

Abstract

Detection of deception and confirmation of truth telling with conventional polygraphy raised a host of technical and ethical issues. Recently, newer methods of recording electromagnetic signals from the brain show promise in permitting the detection of deception or truth telling. Some are even being promoted as more accurate than conventional polygraphy. While the new technologies raise issues of personal privacy, acceptable forensic application, and other social issues, the focus of this paper is the technical limitations of the developing technology. Those limitations include the measurement validity of the new technologies, which remains largely unknown. Another set of questions pertains to the psychological paradigms used to model or constrain the target behavior. Finally, there is little standardization in the field, and the vulnerability of the techniques to countermeasures is unknown. Premature application of these technologies outside of research settings should be resisted, and the social conversation about the appropriate parameters of its civil, forensic, and security use should begin.

Neuroscience, Neuropolitics and Neuroethics: The Complex Case of Crime, Deception and fMRI

“…There are no fMRI studies of high-stakes lying, or lying by 16 See also the work of Robinson (2010). A critical and balanced discussion is provided by Wolpe et al (2005). 17 fMRI currently has not been admitted as evidence since the evidence for research of its effectiveness has to be accepted by the scientific community and so far it has been ruled not to meet the Daubert standard; see the Lorne Semrau fraud case in which the court threw out the fMRI evidence in spite of expert testimony from Steven Laken, the C.E.O.…”

The body in medical imaging between reality and construction

“…Advertising specialists use the methods to test the rise of alertness in specific brain areas via advertising media (McClure and Li 2004). Neurotheologists (Newberg et al 2001) observe the localities of religious experiences in the brain, even as far as to locate the proof of God's existence and the existence of angles, and psychologists have recently suggested the use of fMRI as a lie detector (Wolpe et al 2005).…”

The Lie of fMRI: An Examination of the Ethics of a Market in Lie Detection Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

“…Many authors in these writings have cautioned against the use of fMRI for lie detection and have even concluded that premature application of this technology would result in potentially disastrous outcomes (Wolpe et al 2005). It has also been argued that using fMRI for lie detection would result in novel and urgent ethical issues (Wolpe et al 2005). Despite all the fanfare, it is my contention that a market in lie detection using fMRI scans would raise few new ethical issues.…”

“…The American Journal of Bioethics devoted an entire issue concerning this topic (volume 5, 2005). Many authors in these writings have cautioned against the use of fMRI for lie detection and have even concluded that premature application of this technology would result in potentially disastrous outcomes (Wolpe et al 2005). It has also been argued that using fMRI for lie detection would result in novel and urgent ethical issues (Wolpe et al 2005).…”