Indian police use mind-reading tech amidst ethical concerns

In 2021, a 20-year-old Indian resident named Surjaram was accused by a teenage student of rape. The alleged incident took place in a school classroom, where the teenager claimed she was lured and threatened with a knife. She reported the incident to her family, who then informed the police.

Despite the severity of the allegations, Surjaram was released from police custody on bail. As Jonathan Moens reported in Science, Surjaram's release was influenced by three tests that he requested, as he denied the charges against him.

These tests included a polygraph and the administration of a "truth serum," which involved barbiturate injections to increase the likelihood of obtaining truthful information during interrogation.

The third method used to verify the suspect's credibility was BEOS (Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling). This non-invasive technique checks brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG), a tool widely used in medicine.

By attaching electrodes to the head, EEG can detect changes in electrical potential on the skin's surface to examine brain activity. This is helpful in diagnosing seizure disorders, memory loss, fainting, vision disorders, and other neurological issues.

EEG is also capable of detecting the P300 wave, a measurable brain response to familiar information. Research on P300 began in the 1960s, initially focusing on diagnosing cognitive disorders.

This brain reaction can also uncover information in a person's memory that they might not wish to share. In the 1980s, Dr. Lawrence Farwell at Harvard University researched brain fingerprints and lie detection based on brain activity.

His research led to the development of the P300-MERMER (Memory and Encoding Related Multifaceted Electroencephalographic Response), a pattern occurring several hundred milliseconds after recognizing a stimulus. A positive P300 wave appears, followed by a negative wave about 1200 ms later. This pattern is visible on a brain activity graph.

This research caught the attention of U.S. security agencies. However, by the early 21st century, organizations like the FBI and CIA found Dr. Farwell's method less useful. In contrast, Pakistan collaborated with the scientist, finding the technique valuable.

Building on these discoveries, Prof. Champadi Raman Mukundan, a neurobiologist at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore, developed the BEOS procedure. He claims it can distinguish between reactions to indirectly known events—such as those learned through rumors or news—and those the subject personally experienced.

Therefore, BEOS can function as a form of lie detection by exposing individuals to tailored stimuli to trigger involuntary memory recall. The Indian legal system has used this method over 700 times. The development and promotion of BEOS, even outside India, is handled by Axxonet, a company founded by Prof. Mukundan.

BEOS is a contentious method, drawing criticism due to its inability to clearly differentiate between real memories and imagination. This raises concerns about its reliability and application. Moreover, Axxonet's own experiments have shown a 5% false positive rate, occasionally implicating innocent individuals.

Consequently, in 2010, the Indian Supreme Court prohibited the use of BEOS without the subject’s consent and restricted the admissibility of evidence gathered through this method in trials. Despite these criticisms, BEOS remains in use in India, with proponents viewing it as an alternative to police torture and a way to make the Indian justice system "more humane."