'Scrap lie detectors for benefit claimants'

Benefit claimants should not be made to take lie detector tests because the technology's accuracy has not been scientifically proven, according to the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

Any use of the voice risk analysis software when dealing with benefit claims means the innocent are just as likely to fall foul of the system as the guilty, the TUC has claimed.

The Department for Work and Pensions last month announced a pilot of lie-detecting tech at Harrow Council, using voice risk analysis on would-be claimants to identify suspicious cases.

Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, said ministers should abandon any plans to subject benefit claimants to the technology.

Barber said the overwhelmingly majority of claimants are honest and not "gangsters or mafia dons", and those people who are less truthful tend to pass lie detector tests with flying colours.

silicon.com Public Sector

Get the latest public sector news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the PS newsletter today!

The TUC said the technology cannot detect lies and can only pick up changes in heart or breathing rates and voice tone, with varying degrees of accuracy.

Some people simply don't get upset when they are not telling the truth, said the trade union, while others feel guilt or shame at the prospect. The TUC is worried the impact of telling claimants their voice is going to be checked for potential lies could be enough to raise an individual's stress levels, causing them to become nervous - which in turn could arouse suspicion.

The use of voice stress analysis systems was first pioneered by the insurance industry to detect customers putting in bogus claims.