“The New York Times” writes about the largest retail bank in Russia, Sberbank, and its decision to test out a new high-tech ATM with voice-analysis software that backers say amounts to a built-in lie detector:
Involuntary responses that come with emotional anxiety or nervousness are measured, similar to a polygraph, to determine if someone is telling the truth.
Increased automation in banking is a topic of global interest to banks such as Deutsche Bank and Citigroup. However, technology consultants say the lie-detection component is thus far unique to Sberbank.
Its opponents regard this technology suspiciously, as another Big Brother intrusion. As one blog reader commented, “In Soviet Russia, ATMs withdraw from YOU!”
In response, Sberbank executives say the new ATM would adhere to Russia’s privacy laws and there is no reason for alarm.
— Joanna Kinscherff