Converus Releases First Lie Detection Technology That Accurately and Efficiently Reads Eye Behavior
ExpoSeguridad selected as the world stage to introduce Converus’ new deception detection technology EyeDetect™. Nonintrusive, secure exam takes 40 minutes. Validation trials show this lie detection method is 85 percent accurate.
Employers (where permissible by law), governments and law enforcement agencies can use EyeDetect for pre-employment screening or periodic screening of current employees.
LEHI, Utah – April 8, 2014 – A U.S.-based company says it has discovered how to not just open the window to the soul via one’s eyes, but also accurately determine whether or not that soul is lying.
For years, “polygraph” and “lie detector” have been synonymous. That’s because since 1939 the FBI has been using the polygraph — an instrument that monitors a person’s physiological reactions. Its accuracy is estimated to be between 65 and 85 percent. No other viable, proven solution to detect deception has emerged to join the polygraph, until now.
Scientists at Utah-based technology company Converus (converus.com) have spent the last 10 years perfecting a nonintrusive lie detection method called EyeDetect, which is now available worldwide beginning this month. Instead of recording the body’s involuntary responses to an examiner’s questions, EyeDetect monitors eye behavior to determine deception. Deception causes subtle changes in the behavior of the human eye due to increased cognitive load. It’s the first time a company has created a deception detection product based on an ocular-motor deception test. Across a series of validation trials, it classified truthful and deceptive examinees with 85 percent accuracy.
A former program manager at a US federal agency said, “The largest, single advantage of EyeDetect is its accuracy.”
Since the EyeDetect test is mostly automated, one proctor can administer up to 14 tests per day. Because the exam only takes 30-40 minutes, it can screen large numbers of people in a shorter amount of time. This means it can also serve as a first-stage screen to reduce the number who then need to be polygraphed.
Converus has selected ExpoSeguridad in Mexico City April 8-10 for EyeDetect’s first major public showing.
“We deal with a lot of sensitive information where the potential for risk is very high,” said Vilash Poovala, co-founder and CTO of PayClip. developer of Clip — a card reader that enables users in Mexico to accept credit and debit card payments through their smartphones and tablets. “We need to make sure the people we hire can be trusted. Technology like EyeDetect that can effectively screen potential employees for previous issues with theft or fraud is long overdue.”
Corruption and fraud is a $2.6 trillion worldwide problem annually, with businesses some of the hardest hit. For example, $400 million was recently stolen from Citigroup Inc.’s Mexico unit, Banamex. Converus will focus its initial efforts showing businesses how the EyeDetect technology, when used for pre-employment screening and periodic screening of existing employees, can help to more effectively manage risk and ensure workplace integrity — while keeping costs low and morale high. The company will also reach out to governments and law enforcement agencies.
“Corrupt behavior and unethical business practices place many enterprise companies at risk publicly and financially,” said Converus CEO and President Todd Mickelsen. “We’re excited to share this new lie detection method at ExpoSeguridad. Attendees will quickly see how it will help organizations avoid becoming victims to fraud.”
The Employee Polygraph Protection Act is a US federal law that generally prevents employers from using lie detector tests, either for pre-employment screening or during the course of employment. However, there are certain exemptions to this rule. The Act does not apply to the US government, state or local governments, or any political subdivision of a state or local government, nor does it apply to law enforcement, security companies or criminal situations.
“EyeDetect enables companies to screen out potential employees who would otherwise falsify their experience or be untruthful about previous activities with illegal drugs, stealing from an employer, accepting or receiving inappropriate benefits from an employer or divulging confidential information,” said Mickelsen. “We feel also using EyeDetect for occasional employee screening will improve a company’s corporate culture because employees will know they’re surrounded by co-workers who also embrace being truthful.”
EyeDetect was originally conceived in 2002 by scientists John Kircher and Doug Hacker. They recognized the need to find an alternative deception detection method that could complement the polygraph; with the objective of making sure their new method was accurate, efficient, objective and nonintrusive. Kircher, along with noted polygraph expert David Raskin (also a member of the Converus Science Team), are credited with computerizing the polygraph in 1991.
Results from field studies on EyeDetect conducted in 2012 were peer reviewed by other scientists and professors and published that year in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.
“EyeDetect is a different, yet equally effective solution that can be used with the polygraph or as an alternative — depending upon the specific needs,” said Mickelsen.
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About Converus
Converus (“with truth”) is committed to providing trustworthy credibility assessment solutions. Its flagship product, EyeDetect® — a product first conceived in 2002 — is the first ocular-motor deception detection solution. It’s an accurate, cost-effective, efficient, secure and nonintrusive method that detects deception in 30 minutes by analyzing eye behavior. The same scientists credited with computerizing the polygraph in 1991 developed EyeDetect. It’s a new way for organizations to manage risk and ensure workplace integrity, and for law enforcement agencies and governments to detect deception. Ultimately, it helps protect countries, corporations and communities from corruption, fraud and threats. The company is headquartered in Lehi, Utah, USA. For more information, visit www.converus.com.
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Press Contact: Jeff Pizzino, APR / +1 480.606.8292
