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TRUSTECH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES LTD. ANNOUNCES TRUSTERPRO™ |
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[Truster & Computer Voice Stress Analyzer "Truster is a fully computerized voice stress analyzer that allows you to detect the truth instantly." Sound too good to be true? The best part is that it only costs $89. It was $189, according to the ad. According to a competitor, The National Institute For Truth Verification, the Truster used to sell for as much as $2,500. Business might have dropped off when they issued a Hot Press Release announcing they'd analyzed President Clinton's denial of having had sexual relations with "that woman," Monica Lewinsky. According to the Truster, Clinton was telling the truth. What is a voice stress analyzer, you might wonder? It is a machine that measures components of the human voice--frequency modulations--that are correlated with stress. No machine can detect stress directly, much less distinguish whether the stress is due to lying, guilt, stutter, fear, constipation, or some other emotion or physical condition. The frequency modulations, called "micro tremors" by those who measure them, must be interpreted by a human being. The machine doesn't do the analysis, the examiner does. The Truster is manufactured by Makh-Shevet of Israel. It is not the voice stress analyzer of choice among American law enforcement agencies, however. That honor belongs to the machine manufactured by the swell-sounding National Institute for Truth Verification (NITV) of West Palm Beach, Forida, which sells its Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA) for $9,250. NITV also charges $1,215 per student for a six-day training session. NITV claims that over 800 law enforcement persons are using their machines. The CVSA is a digital device run with software on a laptop, making it very convenient and easy to take anywhere. Furthermore, it can be hooked up to a tape player, making it unnecessary for the subject to be present while getting a truthover. The computer "processes these voice frequencies and graphically displays a picture of the voice patterns." The display can be printed out, as well. How accurate are the voice stress analyzers? According to Gary Baker of Baker Associates Hundreds of professional studies in the fields of law enforcement, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, military, business, security, pharmacology, and government have consistently shown VSA validity, reliability and accuracy at above 96%.* Unfortunately, Mr. Baker doesn't mention any of these studies so I can't refer the reader to them. However, an expert in these matters did a SCAN of the above statement and determined that it is most probably false. Just how deceptive is the advertising for the Deception Detector? NITV claims Unlike the polygraph, drugs do not affect the results of the exam and there are no known counter-measures that will cause the ubiquitous "inconclusive" results associated with the polygraph.* It's true that VSA does not allow an "inconclusive" reading. The investigator, however, has three options. He or she may conclude "Deception Indicated" or "No Deception Indicated", or " No Opinion - Additional Testing Required." Technically, having no opinion is not the same as being inconclusive, but the consequence is the same: the subject neither passes nor fails the Truth Test and gets the equivalent of an Incomplete grade. Needless to say, NITV had no more difficulty finding law enforcement people to endorse this new device than did Wade Quattlebaum for his Quadro Tracker. Again, we have to ask: why are law enforcement personnel especially gullible when it comes to pseudoscientific devices such as these? The fact is, it is not just law enforcement who are seduced by the promises of a quick and dirty test to tell who is lying. Devices such as these are used by retailers, law firms, small businesses, large corporations, and the military. One hopes this wide array of users is indicative of cynicism and a low opinion of those the device is used on, rather than a sincere belief in the scientific validity of the machines. One would hope any scientist would recognize that since several equally plausible factors can cause what they are observing in every single instance there can be no theory to support a method for distinguishing "micro modulations" caused by the stress caused by lying. Such modulations will appear identical to those caused by constipation, fear, test anxiety, etc. It must always be the judgment of the investigator that identifies any voice modulation as due to lying and that judgment of necessity must be based upon something other than the output of the machine. What is it? Body language? The blue sense? Sometimes, no doubt. But the fact that many people who are subjected to Truth Detection tests actually believe in the validity of the tests and are often frightened into confessing may play a role in the popularity of these machines. Supporting this notion is the kind of evidence NITV puts forth to demonstrate how their machine solves cases. In every case, the bottom line is that the suspect is confronted with the results of the CVSA exam and then confesses. -- The Skeptic's Dictionary, by Robert Todd Carroll] The only computerized lie detector system for tracing thought patterns through the analysis and diagnosis of vocal mannerisms at the time of questioning. Tel Aviv, Israel - September 15, 1998 - Trustech Ltd., the worldwide leader in advanced vocal analysis innovations, today extended its technology in the computerized lie detector market by launching the most comprehensive voice analysis solution in the industry. The new TrusterPro™ empowers government agencies and corporations of all sizes to conduct secure and reliable truth verification through multiple modes of operation. A number of government agencies have already expressed interest. Comprising four different modes of operation, TrusterPro applications can be mixed-and-matched over a series of examinations to achieve ideal results. TrusterPro comes with four basic modes of operation: 1 Online Mode - Connects users phone to their PC to provide realtime analysis. 2 Interrogation Mode - Provides polygraph professionals with customizable sets of questions. 3 Tape Recorder Mode - Instantly tapes a conversation, radio or TV segment for future reference and/or detailed analysis. 4 Auto Offline Analyzer - Analyzes the highlights of a conversation once it is over. Online Mode - A realtime deception detector interfaces with the user's PC during a face-to-face or phone conversation, to provide realtime analysis. The online mode detects levels of deception, stress, excitement, and confusion. TrusterPro™ automatically generates reports based on user preferences. The online mode includes three special features for advanced users: (1) an Advanced Profiler, (2) a tool for structuring conversations in a pre-defined path, and (3) an in-depth tool for analyzing straightforward answers. Interrogation Mode - Customizable sets of built-in questions that have been compiled by a team of professionals provide an easy and cost effective approach for conducting investigations. Users have the option of using the questionnaire templates provided, or creating their own to suit specific needs. Once the interview is over, pre-analysis is displayed for each relevant question. TrusterPro™ produces a detailed profile and summary report indicating the question and answer given, along with a deception decision rate for each pre-defined main question. The interrogation mode will also produce a professional graph display to assist the proficient user in reanalyzing the results. The interrogation mode was designed as a polygraph compatible mode. Tape Recorder Mode - The online recorder mode enables instant taping of a conversation, radio or TV segment for future reference and/or detailed analysis. This mode can also be used to replay conversations in the same way one would use a regular tape recorder, with easy access to the stored data.
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