India’s Supreme Court ruled that ‘truth-drug tests’ like narco-analysis, lie detector and brain mapping tests are illegal and are an infringement on a person’s privacy. That was on May 4th.
Barely 5 days later, US scientists have claimed that Brain-scans can be useful as lie-detectors. That was what the so called ‘Brain mapping’ used in India was about, wasn’t it?
But to be fair, the researchers have also explained how the results could not be relied upon 100% and could be manipulated or cheated.
Nice conundrum this:
One hand you do have a test that can possibly give a clue to solving a crime. OTOH, manipulation by the witness can easily condemn an innocent man – merely on the basis of that test. And in India where cops are known to railroad innocents, we’d be better off without such tests.
Also, the supreme court decision is (I think) the first major decision, on a citizen’s right to privacy; with this decision as basis, we can expect much more verdicts in future – like when the phones are tapped or illegal search and seizure – and many such restrictions that are totally alien to the Indian Police.
Barely 5 days later, US scientists have claimed that Brain-scans can be useful as lie-detectors. That was what the so called ‘Brain mapping’ used in India was about, wasn’t it?
But to be fair, the researchers have also explained how the results could not be relied upon 100% and could be manipulated or cheated.
Nice conundrum this:
One hand you do have a test that can possibly give a clue to solving a crime. OTOH, manipulation by the witness can easily condemn an innocent man – merely on the basis of that test. And in India where cops are known to railroad innocents, we’d be better off without such tests.
Also, the supreme court decision is (I think) the first major decision, on a citizen’s right to privacy; with this decision as basis, we can expect much more verdicts in future – like when the phones are tapped or illegal search and seizure – and many such restrictions that are totally alien to the Indian Police.
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