Late last week the Libertarian Cato Institute reported that “the Department of Homeland Security has field tested a new device that will scan airport passenger’s bodies for clues that could predict if someone had the intent to cause harm to others.”

According to the report, as well as sources with Fox News, the new system the DHS plans to implement is called MALINTENT, which the Cato institute referred to as being “Orwellian-sounding.” “(The) machine detects the person, not the device, set to wreak havoc and terror. It’s like an X-ray for bad intentions.” Of course, Libertarians and other political groups who act as watchdogs for invasion of personal privacy and civil liberties will no doubt contest the use of such equipment… as well as scoff at its “metaphysical” ability to “read people’s minds”. However, we must also ask: even if such a device worked properly, how effective would it be in combating terrorist acts against the American homeland?

I wrote a similar article in the past for TCS Daily dealing with the proposed REAL ID act, which aims at trying to combat terror by issuing standardized driver’s licenses that are regulated and overseen on a nationwide level, as opposed to the current state-based DMV systems (click here to read the article in its entirety).

However, in addition to the ineffective nature of going about such using proposed computer systems which (according to my present understanding) do not yet exist, we can’t overlook the fact that many of the 911 terrorists weren’t carrying valid US drivers licences anyway! The point here is that when persons with ill intent want to find a way around an issue like this, they will use existing technology (or perhaps the lack thereof) to do so. Under such circumstances, using things like REAL ID to try and crack down on terrorists only punishes the common folks like you and I.

Therefore, how easily could a device like the MALINTENT system be used effectively, accurately, and in a way that doesn’t harass and infringe on average citizens it may “target” for suspicious behavior?