Richard G. Epstein

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by

Sally Righteous

Science and Technology Correspondent

Dr. Emmanuel Nichols, Professor of Biology at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, verified today that he will soon announce the discovery of a new kind of short duration, very high frequency, electromagnetic pulse that the human brain emits when human beings are not telling the truth. In addition, Professor Nichols announced that he has perfected an infallible lie detecting device using this new technology.

Professor Nichols first came to the public's attention ten years ago when he discovered Short Duration - Very High Frequency Electromagnetic Pulses (SD-VHFEMP), electromagnetic signals that higher mammals emit when they have aggressive intentions. Professor Nichols' earlier discovery gave rise to the much-heralded VibeMeter, which his company markets, and which has become popular among safety-conscious citizens.

Professor Nichols announced that he is on the verge of publishing a paper, in the next issue of the prestigious scientific journal, Nature, that will announce his discovery of a "rich vocabulary" of subtle electromagnetic pulses that are emitted by the human brain under a variety of circumstances. Each pulse emanates from a specific location in the brain and is detectable at a distance of up to 50 meters.

"The electromagnetic pulse behind the VibeMeter," Dr. Nichols explained, "turns out to be a special instance of a more general family of short duration very high frequency pulses that have a vocabulary all their own. The VibeMeter pulses occur at a specific range of frequencies. Now, at a completely different range of frequencies, we have found signals that correlate perfectly with whether a person is telling the truth or not."

Dr. Nichols explained that the pulses that led to the development of the VibeMeter were first detected in chimpanzees. "We didn't realize that human beings might emit their own peculiar kinds of pulses. The new electromagnetic pulse that will be reported in Nature is limited to human beings and relates specifically to lying, which is a verbal behavior that requires abstract reasoning."

Professor Nichols announced that he and his colleagues at Nichols Security Company have developed a prototype for a personal lie detecting device and have applied for a patent. "It is our intention to market this device for use by people who might need to know if they are being lied to."

The TruthMeter, as the new device is provisionally called, will look very much like the VibeMeter, since it involves a similar technology. In order to tell whether someone is telling the truth, the user simply aims the TruthMeter at the suspected liar. If the suspected liar is lying, the TruthMeter emits a beep or flashes a warning, depending upon the mode in which the TruthMeter is operating.

Professor Nichols denied, in response to a reporter's question, that a "mind-reading" technology is just around the corner. "The TruthMeter is infallible. Our research has shown that there is no way for the human being to consciously control the emission of these signals. The TruthMeter works on an all or nothing principle. If the human being has the conscious intention to lie and mislead, these signals are emitted. This is a completely different thing from actually reading a person's thoughts."

Professor Nichols stressed that the infallible lie detector only detects conscious lying, where the subject knows the truth and consciously intends to deceive. "Apparently, when a person knows the truth and intends to deceive, this requires a certain expenditure of energy, which is what we are picking up with the TruthMeter," Dr. Nichols explained.

Professor Nichols admitted that a mind-reading machine was a technical feasibility before the end of the century, but his research was not heading in that direction. He stressed that the TruthMeter was non-invasive and did not require that the suspect be connected to special sensors, such as is required by old-fashioned lie detector technologies.

Reporters asked Professor Nichols whether his company was planning to market the TruthMeter to the general public. His answer was unequivocal: "Yes."

The availability of an infallible lie detection machine would have enormous consequences for human relationships on all levels. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a technology that could have a more profound impact upon the way people interact in their personal lives, in business, in politics, in all spheres of human life. The possibility of such a machine has been the subject of speculation by science fiction writers for many decades, but the reporters at Professor Nichols' news conference were apparently caught by surprise.

If the common citizen can carry an infallible lie detector in his or her purse or pocket, the social implications are immense. Most lawyers that were interviewed by the Sentinel-Observer could see no reason why such a personal lie detecting device would be illegal under current statutes. It is not illegal to record someone's voice, except when that voice is being carried over electronic media. The TruthMeter would simply indicate whether the person speaking is telling the truth or not, without recording the actual words.

Professor Grace Wein is a Professor of Law at Silicon Valley University. She said that if the TruthMeter proves too disruptive of human relationships, the government could conceivably outlaw its use. "Then, it would become a matter for the courts to decide, because any such legislation would certainly be challenged as being unconstitutional. One might say that aiming a TruthMeter at another person is an invasion of that person's privacy, but the constitutional right to privacy is on shaky grounds. The TruthMeter is non-invasive and detects a signal that human beings emit naturally. It is not clear whether the Supreme Court, as currently constituted, would view the use of the TruthMeter as an invasion of privacy. I tend to think that they would not support any legislative ban on the use of the TruthMeter by private persons."

"However," Professor Wein added, "a more interesting question is whether the Court will allow the use of the TruthMeter by the government, for example, by the police, the IRS, and the FBI. At first glance, I would suspect that the TruthMeter would be acceptable wherever the government has previously used wiretaps and wired agents, that is, in cases where criminal activity is suspected. The TruthMeter might become a part of the government's crime investigation apparatus. I do not believe, however, that the government would be allowed to use this technology without cause, as that would violate the constitutional prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures."

Professor Wein also wondered whether police would be allowed to use such a device in interrogating suspects. "Today's lie detectors are too unreliable and, thus, the results of lie detector tests are inadmissible as evidence in a court of law. Now, the TruthMeter is another matter altogether. Being infallible, the state legislatures and the Congress and the courts might decide that the use of the TruthMeter is admissible. After all, the purpose of such a proceeding is to get at the truth."

"The impact upon our system of justice would be staggering," Professor Wein added. "A suspect who is not willing to submit to a TruthMeter test would be presumed guilty by a jury just by reason of that unwillingness."

The TruthMeter would certainly revolutionize the criminal justice system. Its impact upon the marketplace and upon interpersonal relationships will be just as dramatic. Imagine the impact of an infallible personal lie detection technology on just about any profession. Truthfulness and honesty are essential in all professions, such as medicine, the law, and engineering. Imagine the impact of an infallible lie detection technology on the way commodities are sold. Imagine the impact of an infallible personal lie detection technology on relationships between husband and wife, girlfriend and boyfriend, parent and child, student and teacher. The list goes on and on.

The Sentinel-Observer asked Professor Rick Jacobs, Director of the Science and Society Program at Silicon Valley University, if he could imagine a world in which the common person had access to this kind of technology. Professor Jacobs has written extensively on the unexpected impact of numerous technologies. According to Professor Jacobs, it is not always a simple matter to predict what the impact of a new technology is going to be.

"At first glance, you would think that the TruthMeter would make everyone more honest," Professor Jacobs said in an interview conducted in his office. "The used car salesman knows that the buyer has a TruthMeter, so he is careful to be honest about the leaky gasket and the rest of it. The unfaithful husband has no recourse but to come clean. The dishonest student has no recourse but to admit to cheating. You would think that the introduction of this technology would make people more honest."

Professor Jacobs then said that the impact of this infallible lie detection technology upon society would greater than the impact of any previous technology.

"Previous technological innovations did not change basic human nature. We see that what is going on today, in terms of the latest technology and cyberspace, is just what was going on in past centuries, but in a new form. I am referring to the good and the bad, lust and beauty, greed and compassion, deception and truthfulness. The Global Landscape is just a mirror of what we human beings have been for the longest time. But, a lie detection technology, that would change everything, don't you agree?"

Professor Jacobs peered out of the window of his office. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"I think that honesty and truthfulness are generally a good thing. We all know there are cases in which truthfulness is best put aside, for the sake of peace. But, in most human relationships, honesty is a good thing, if it is compassionate, so this new technology could really have an immense impact, to open people up to the truth that is too easy to avoid. It could have the impact of making people more open and compassionate, and more relaxed about their own shortcomings.

"On the other hand, if you really press me, I don't believe that things will necessarily go in that direction. What I actually think will happen is that the new TruthMeter technology will force people more and more to conduct their interactions in cyberspace, where the TruthMeter technology is inoperative. If I meet you in cyberspace, I cannot use the TruthMeter to find out whether you are telling me the truth. It may be that a few years from now if you want to buy a used car, you're going to have to do it in cyberspace.

"If that happens, then the result would be catastrophic, because I believe that our increasing dependence upon cyberspace as the medium for conducting human interaction is a disaster.

"Finally, we can imagine a reaction against the TruthMeter, in which it becomes the social norm to lie. I can imagine teenagers, if they follow the historical trend, doing everything in their power to set off their parents' TruthMeter, just as a game. Do you see what I am saying? By making it so easy to detect lies, we may inadvertently make lies more acceptable. 'Hey, everybody lies, so what's the big deal?'

"Most of the discussions on the TruthMeter that I saw on television earlier today have presumed that people will want to tell the truth. The impact of the TruthMeter could be just the opposite. Instead of forcing people to be truthful, it may encourage people to engage in ever more subtle forms of deception.

"Thus, a used car salesman may lose all pretense of being truthful. He knows that he will set off your TruthMeter. It is expected that a used car salesman is going to set off your TruthMeter, and the used car salesman can turn that into a good-natured bit of fun. 'I set off your TruthMeter, so what? That is just part of the game.' The salesman might find that there are gradations of truth and falsehood, and he may find a way to manipulate the TruthMeter, so that by stretching the truth just so much, he won't set it off. My research has shown again and again that the impact of a technology can often be just the opposite of what people intended."

With the presidential primaries nearly over and with a presidential campaign just months away, many voters are probably eager to get their hands on a TruthMeter. President Hinson, who was addressing an ABA convention in San Diego, was told about the TruthMeter after his address. Reporters asked the President to react to the news of Professor Nichols' new invention.

President Hinson paused for a long time, and then said with a wan smile: "It means the end of civilization as we have known it."