Microsoft System May Monitor Workers' Brains, Bodies

FOX News ^ | January 16, 2008 | By Alexi Mostrous and David Brown

[bamahead]

Microsoft is developing Big Brother-style software capable of remotely monitoring a worker's productivity, physical well-being and competence.

The Times has seen a patent application filed by the company for a computer system that links workers to their computers via wireless sensors that measure their metabolisms.

The system would allow managers to monitor employees' performance by measuring their heart rates, body temperatures, movements, facial expressions and blood pressure.

Labor unions said they fear that employees could be dismissed on the basis of a computer's assessment of their physiological state.

Technology allowing constant monitoring of workers was previously limited to pilots, firefighters and NASA astronauts. This is believed to be the first time a company has proposed developing such software for mainstream workplaces.

Microsoft submitted a patent application in the U.S. for a "unique monitoring system" that could link workers to their computers.

Wireless sensors could read "heart rate, galvanic skin response, EMG, brain signals, respiration rate, body temperature, movement facial movements, facial expressions and blood pressure," the application states.

The system could also "automatically detect frustration or stress in the user" and "offer and provide assistance accordingly."

[Candor7]

Send the Beta version to Finland, the home of the worlds best hackers. Then you will be able to play data back to your boss in any way you wish.

[Camel Joe]

You don’t start a project like that on your own, the gubment is in on it. No wonder W dropped the whole monopoly thing, big gubment, big brother!

[TigerLikesRooster]

Microsoft is evil.:-)

[ShadowAce]

[Tribune7]

It makes the Apple Olympic commercial look very prophetic.

Big Brother in that commercial was supposed to be IBM.

[metesky]

[Greg F]

Yah, but at that point IBM and Microsoft were hand in glove versus Apple.

[martin_fierro]

I’d monitor that 2x.

[JRios1968]

[Still Thinking]

If they try that on me, they’d better be monitoring my finger positions.

[zeugma]

"automatically detect frustration or stress in the user"

In other words, they are using Vista.