New technology allows you to identify future criminals by facial features

A gloomy future, described in fantasy novels, can become more realistic by one more step. Employees of Shanghai University Jao Tong assure that thanks to the clever computer algorithm it is possible to distinguish criminals from law-abiding citizens only on the basis of physiognomic analysis.

Do not rush to take this news at face value, we are still living in the present. It is unlikely that the technology that will detect potential criminals in person will ever be used by law enforcement agencies in practice. This is not a crime and there is no moral ethics. And for the absolute accuracy of the algorithm, no one can vouch.

The computer identified a number of distinctive characteristics

In the course of the experiment, scientists randomly selected 1856 people for analysis of faces. Approximately half of them were individuals of citizens serving prison sentences. The computer program identified the main signs of people who belonged to both groups. As a result, the distinctive features were revealed, which made it possible to identify criminals with 90 percent accuracy.

The algorithm found differences between groups

Shanghai researchers argue that the algorithm found differences between the facial features of representatives of both groups. Among the main parameters were the curvature of the lips, the distance between the inner corners of the eyes, as well as the fold between the nose and mouth.

Who are law-abiding citizens like?

According to scientists, law-abiding citizens have the average features inherent in their nationality. If you meet such a person in a crowd, it is unlikely that the look will catch on to his appearance. Criminals, by contrast, have some characteristics that will make you alert. Scientists have classified this feature as "a higher degree of dissimilarity in appearance compared to ordinary people."

A large number of disputes

It is not surprising that this study caused a considerable number of disputes, resentment and protests. At present, people belonging to different nationalities and cultures migrate in search of a better life. A visiting person will stand out against the backdrop of the indigenous population. Does the dissimilarity of his features make him a potential criminal? How will children feel about mixed marriages? After all, they also have many distinctive features in appearance.

Will people think so narrowly that they will not take into account the conditions of life of a potential "criminal", as well as the upbringing that he received as a child? In addition, this algorithm completely refutes the theory of American psychologists that the appearance of a serial killer is no different from the average person.