DHS develops technology to predict illegal acts

Do you remember the feeling you felt watching Minority Report, knowing that our government would one day have a "pre-crime" department? That day might be sooner than you think.

In documents obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) by open-government request, it was learned that the Department of Homeland Security has been developing a program known as Future Attribute Screening Technology, or FAST.

While the system could soon be used in airports, its development was for events like concerts or sporting events. Essentially, attendees enter a mobile screening center and stand in the middle of the room. Sensors measure the person's pulse, temperature, breathing, facial expressions, movements, pupil dilation, and other actions. Using that data, trials have shown an accuracy rate of nearly 80% at detecting possible future bad acts (such as taking a camera into a concert). 

DHS's Privacy Assessment is available here.

EPIC's documents can be viewed here.