E-fibbing - Cyber lie detector software being developed
Caroline:
February 25th, 2007
Do you think it is easier to get away with lying in e-mails rather than on the phone or face to face? Well don’t become too complacent because researchers are currently developing software said to be able to spot a cyber-liar and this could be available to buy as early as next year. The academics behind the software have analysed thousands of e-mails and discovered that there are a range of tell-tale signs indicating that we are not being truthful. E-mails which are untruthful have an average of 28% more words than truthful ones as we try desperately to sound convincing. We are more likely to use third person pronouns in an attempt to distance ourselves from the lie and we are often deliberately vague to minimise the likelihood of being discovered to be a liar. Next time you e-mail your workplace to say you are sick, one of the most common cyber fibs, watch out that your employer has not invested in the new software!