
Chinese businesses and the military using “emotional surveillance technology” - loriverkutya
http://uk.businessinsider.com/china-emotional-surveillance-technology-2018-4
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pavel_lishin
This sounds very tabloidy, but this actually seems like an interesting and
useful application, especially given the recent high-profile incidents where
train drivers in the American north-east nodded off and caused crashes.

> _Deayea, a technology company in Shanghai, said its brain monitoring devices
> were worn regularly by train drivers working on the Beijing-Shanghai high-
> speed rail line, one of the busiest of its kind in the world._

> _The sensors, built in the brim of the driver’s hat, could measure various
> types of brain activities, including fatigue and attention loss with an
> accuracy of more than 90 per cent, according to the company’s website._

> _If the driver dozed off, for instance, the cap would trigger an alarm in
> the cabin to wake him up._

~~~
test6554
Wile waking up a sleepy conductor seems like a good idea, how much longer is a
train conductor job going to exist? I feel like rail is the the one form of
transportation that is most susceptible to automation. Since trains are
usually run by slow-moving government agencies, I see how they may have lagged
behind the times. Although this is stupidly oversimplified, a train is like an
elevator on its side, and we don't have many elevator operators these days.

~~~
pavel_lishin
> _a train is like an elevator on its side, and we don 't have many elevator
> operators these days._

Elevators don't get random people and cars crossing the tracks, don't have to
contend with variable weather conditions, and are very, very unlikely to
encounter another elevator in the same shaft.

And while onboard train operators might disappear in ten years or so, I think
it might be worthwhile to keep the ones we currently have awake.

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gumby
> Cheng Jingzhou, the official who oversees the company's program, said "there
> is no doubt about its effect,"

Well, I can't argue about this: the technology has unquestionably had the
effect of causing some people to be reassigned, some disciplined, etc. But
absurd hearsay comments about increased profits? I think some science and some
numbers are required.

(I read the SCMP article of which this was a summary and it didn't have any
higher journalistic value).

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awakeasleep
The tabloid nature of this journalism makes one wonder whether Bat Baby’s
productivity could have been improved with this same chip

~~~
noonespecial
Of course, he would have been able to stay awake long enough to finally
photograph 'ol Nessie.

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sologoub
Wonder how they controlled for the Hawthorne effect?

Mass surveillance is often in the back of one’s mind, but there are few
physical reminders. Being fitted with equipment that is intended to read your
brainwaves definitely would alter the perception of being observed and cause a
spike in productivity by itself, without any actual managerial interventions
needed.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect)

~~~
SubiculumCode
In the U.S. there might be relatively few physical reminders, but per various
reports, pan-opti police-state surveillance in China results in arrests and
disappearances for 'crimes' that we'd consider run-of-the-mill free speech.

~~~
sologoub
When it’s not attached to you, you start to tune things out.

Most large cities are riddled with cameras and police presence. Granted, they
aren’t just disappearing people in the states (most of the time), but that
police cruise that just passed you scanned your license plates and analyzed
you for likelyhood of a crime. It was in the news, we all read it and I bet
you that you never think twice about it.

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growlix
I wouldn't be surprised if those numbers are exaggerated (or fabricated) in
order to facilitate widespread acceptance and adoption of surveillance.

~~~
sebleon
Absolutely, companies face extreme government coercion in China.

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chocolate_
This is similar to the premise of the anime "Psycho-Pass" (where a weapon's
lethality is governed by the target's mental state).

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho-
Pass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho-Pass)

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lowbloodsugar
Here! Buy this hat from my reputable friend here. You will see productivity
increase by hundreds of millions! Each hat is only $1000! A very fine hat! One
for every citizen!

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iliketosleep
If anyone is interested the original SCMP article contains a lot more detail:
[http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2143899/forge...](http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2143899/forget-
facebook-leak-china-mining-data-directly-workers-brains)

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xkcd-sucks
There are probably already waveform generators that reproduce a "good worker"
signal available for purchase in Shenzhen

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pasbesoin
This actually strikes me as being relatively easy for an AI to tackle.

So, I expected automated "flag" generation to become widespread. Merge with
some context information, and you'll receive either surveillance or a tap on
the shoulder when you get too emotional in an "non-typical" or "elevated
security" context.

I, too, am horrified by it. Especially as someone who is a bit atypical, such
as to how much extraneous human noise can frustrate me when I'm trying to
focus. I don't "act out", but my pulse and other biometrics will spike.

Now, that may equate with "undesirable behavior". Because I'm trying to tune
out some noisy people and concentrate.

~~~
toss1
Excellent point -- the outliers will always raise false-positive flags.

Now, if you could get access to the data yourself and (also) use it as a
biofeedback self-training device, it could be very effective at helping us
produce better/more frequent calm and focused states even in stressful
situations.

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ux4
Sad how this technology is being used for tyrannical surveillance when it
could be used to improve the mental health and emotional well-being of people
instead. I imagine using this to improve the emotional well-being of your
employees would boost productivity much more.

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not_that_noob
So if a worker wanted a day off, all they had to do was think bad thoughts?

~~~
scj
Yup, they can spend some time in the cornfield[0] if they want!

[0] The cornfield was a type of purgatory/hell in The Twilight Zone episode
"It's a Good Life"
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Good_Life_(The_Twilig...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Good_Life_\(The_Twilight_Zone\))

~~~
coldacid
Except in China it might be a literal cornfield. Or some other place where you
get "reassigned" to slave for the state.

