Minority Report

Imagine a world of streets lined with video cameras that alert authorities to any suspicious activity. A world where police officers can read the minds of potential criminals and arrest them before they commit any crimes. A world in which a suspect who lies under questioning gets nabbed immediately because his brain has given him away. Though that may sound a lot like the plot of the 2002 movie "Minority Report," starring Tom Cruise and based on a Philip K. Dick novel, I'm not talking about science fiction here; it turns out we're not so far away from that world. But does it sound like a very safe place, or a very scary one?

Scientists have developed a machine which is capable of reading our mind and revealing our most private thoughts. American researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, found that, with the aid of a sophisticated scanner and computer programme, they were able to determine how the brain lights up when thinking about different subjects.

Predicting where crime would happen next sounds like a wild idea, a concept possible only in the realm of science fiction, like Phillip K. Dick’s short story “Minority Report.” But lately some technology vendors have been combining crime statistics, weather data, geospatial data, and predictive algorithms to create a magical brew that can forecast when and where the next crime wave will most likely hit.

In the film version of Minority Report, a personalized ad that knows about past purchases greets a character as he enters The Gap. Meanwhile, American Express ads tell Tom Cruise's own character that he looks like he needs an escape as he's chased by authorities. Now, Microsoft has filed for a patent that could eventually help make this advertising scenario come true.

OTTAWA -- The 2002 film Minority Report depicts a society that keeps tabs on its citizens by swiftly scanning their irises when they exit subway cars or enter buildings. The same technology verifies the identity of those authorized to enter restricted areas.

At the time the Stephen Spielberg film was released, the biometric world it depicted still seemed far off. But in the five years since, systems that rely on biometric samples of fingerprints or iris and facial scans to establish identity have become so ubiquitous some suggest we're witnessing the birth of the biometric state.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — You probably first saw it in science fiction or James Bond movies, a futuristic technology that didn’t actually exist in the real world. But, scanning someone’s eyes to identify them has become reality among some Colorado law enforcement agencies. The Garfield County Sheriff’s Department has used an iris scanner since 2004 to identify inmates as they are booked into the jail and to verify the right inmate is being released.