Nemesysco

Nemesysco is an Israeli company that makes lie detectors and other products based on voice analysis. They have been used in airports in Israel and Russia^[1], by insurance companies and social security helplines in the United Kingdom and sold to consumers.^[2] It has raised controversy about privacy and whether is it scientific or not.^[3] Users have claimed savings, mostly by subjects being more honest when told they are subjected to a lie detector.^[4] The CEO is Amir Liberman and the Executive Chairman is David Ofek.^[5][6] Their trademarked method is called Layered Voice Analysis (LVA), a kind of voice stress analysis.^[7]

Local authorities in the United Kingdom have used lie detectors from Nemesysco for social security helplines. This drew criticism for not publishing the results of tests and for flagging innocent but nervous callers.^[8] The latter criticism was, however, misplaced, since investigation of the workings of Nemesysco's products has shown them incapable of detecting vocal signals of nervousness. ^[9][10]

A 2006 study at the University of Florida for the Counterintelligence Field Activity concluded that LVA did not show any sensitivity to the presence of deception or stress.^[9] A 2008 study funded by the National Institute of Justice found that neither LVA nor the competing Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA) were able to detect lies better than random, but its use does deter people from lying, the bogus pipeline effect.^[11]

In 2007 two Swedish professors of linguistics, Francisco Lacerda of Stockholm University and Anders Eriksson of Gothenburg University, published an article called "Charlatanry in forensic speech science"^[10] in the International Journal of Speech Language and the Law. Here they examined the workings of a Nemesysco product, and showed that it behaved in pseudo-random fashion when purporting to identify spoken lies. Nemesysco demanded that the article should be withdrawn from the online version of the magazine, and the publisher Equinox did so.^[12][13] Nemesysco's lawyers then sent letters to the Swedish professors where they threatened to sue them for defamation if they published similar articles again.^[14][15] This resulted in criticism of Nemesysco for trying to silence academic research, and of the publisher for not understanding how to manage a scientific journal.^[16][17] The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences branded the company's behavior a "serious assault on research freedom".^[18]

Products

• Love Detector for computers or phones is claimed to indicate whether a partner is being truthful. Developed by the A.I. Sense unit.^[19][20][21]
• GK-1, used in airports.^[22][23]

Layered Voice Analysis

Layered Voice Analysis (LVA) is claimed by Nemesysco to give an understanding of a subject's mental and emotional state by detecting the "emotional content" of his or her speech when answering questions. LVA is said to identify stress levels, cognitive processes, and emotional reactions. Nemesysco say that it is not a voice stress analysis technology, and instead uses their own unique patented technology to detect "brain activity traces" in a subject's voice via a wide spectrum analysis.^[24]

References

1. ^ "Speak no evil at airports". news24.com / AP. 2005-11-18. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1836399,00.html. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
2. ^ Beard, Matthew (2003-08-15). "Insurer to use lie detectors to root out false claims". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/insurer-to-use-lie-detectors-to-root-out-false-claims-535911.html. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
3. ^ Hunter, Teresa (2003-12-16). "'We can tell if you're fibbing'". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance/2871936/%27We-can-tell-if-you%27re-fibbing%27.html. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
4. ^ Robins, Jon (2008-01-13). "Why your insurer doesn't like your tone of voice". The Observer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jan/13/7. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
5. ^ Maney, Kevin (2003-09-03). "The truth is out there, and lie-detection technology just might find it". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kevinmaney/2003-09-02-maney_x.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
6. ^ "Nemesysco Appoints Executive Chairman". Security Park. 2007-07-26. http://www.securitypark.co.uk/security_article259789.html. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
7. ^ Silverstein, Jonathan (2005-11-21). "Tech Blotter: Artsy Laptops and Airport Lie Detectors". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1327788. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
8. ^ Ballard, Mark (2008-05-07). "Lie detectors extend their reach to social security helplines". The Inquirer. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/328/1016328/lie-detectors-due-councils. Retrieved 2009-02-01. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Hollien, Harry; James D. Harnsberger (2006-03-17), "Voice Stress Analyzer Instrumentation Evaluation" (pdf), CIFA Contract – FA 4814-04-0011, http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/jharns/Research%20Projects/UF_Report_03_17_2006.pdf, retrieved 2009-02-02 
10. ^ ^{a b} Eriksson, Anders; Francisco Lacerda (2007). "Charlatanry in forensic speech science: A problem to be taken seriously". International Journal of Speech Language and the Law (Equinox Publishing) 14 (2): 169–193. doi:10.1558/ijsll.2007.14.2.169. http://www.scribd.com/doc/9673590/Eriksson-Lacerda-2007. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
11. ^ Damphousse, Kelly R. (March 2008). "Voice Stress Analysis: Only 15 Percent of Lies About Drug Use Detected in Field Test". NIJ Journal (National Institute of Justice) (259). http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/journals/259/voice-stress-analysis.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
12. ^ Joyce, Janet (2008-12-04). "Note from Publisher". Equinox Publishing. http://www.equinoxjournals.com/ojs/index.php/IJSLL/article/view/3775. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
13. ^ Bojs, Karin (2008-12-28). "Lögndetektorer fungerar inte" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=597&a=868300. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
14. ^ Larsson, Per (2009-01-28). "All lies? Scientists threatened with legal action over lie detector article". News and events. Stockholm University External Relations Office. http://www.su.se/english/about/news_and_events/scientists_threatened_with_legal_action. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
15. ^ Jogestrand, Kristina (2009-01-27). "Forskare hotas av åtal" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=597&a=877743. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
16. ^ Bojs, Karin (2009-01-27). "De försöker tysta ner forskning" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1298&a=877754. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
17. ^ "Lie Detector Company Threatens Critical Scientists With Suit". Slashdot. 2009-01-29. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/01/29/2018254. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
18. ^ "Serious assault on research freedom". Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. 2009-05-07. http://www.kva.se/KVA_Root/eng/_news/detail.asp?NewsId=1164. Retrieved 2009-05-11. ^{[dead link]}
19. ^ Rocha, Roberto (2006-05-11). "Cellphone program answers love's 911". The Gazette. http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=36aef26f-776b-4ef8-9405-185caf1e51cc&k=59512. Retrieved 2009-02-01. 
20. ^ Berger, Ivan (2004-02-12). "He Loves Me Not, Digitally". pp. The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE3DD133AF931A25751C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved 2009-02-01. 
21. ^ "Israeli company A.I. Sense launches 'Love Detector' voice analysis". ISRAEL21c. 2003-09-04. http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=Zone&enDispWho=InThePress&enZone=InThePress&Date=9/2/03%2011:00%20PM. Retrieved 2009-02-02. ^{[dead link]}
22. ^ Badi, Diana (2005-11-18). "Løgndetektor på flyplass i Israel". Dagbladet. http://www.dagbladet.no/dinside/2005/11/18/449768.html. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
23. ^ "Lying in wait for airborne criminals". CNN Travel. 2006-01-10. http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/01/05/lie.detectors/. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 
24. ^ "LVA - Layered Voice Analysis - Nemesysco's Technologies". Nemesysco. http://www.nemesysco.com/technology-lvavoiceanalysis.html. 

External links

• Nemesysco website