New Application Detects VoIP Liars
Skype voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) users can now download an add-on application that listens for lies coming through the phone. The "KishKish Lie Detector," as it is called, was developed by KishKish, a subsidiary of BATM Advanced Communications.
The new application is available for download at the "Skype Extras" area of the Skype Web site. The application automatically launches each time a Skype call is made or received. Users can also use the KishKish SAM VSA to record the call for analysis off-line.
To date the add-on has been downloaded 341,782 times, according to Kishkish's Web site.
Kishkish Lie Detector relies on the same technology used by police and the military to analyze the stress levels in a caller's voice. It takes the first 10 seconds of the conversation to calibrate the system. Then, four on-screen displays register the stress level of the speaker throughout the conversation. The most prominent one is a needle that moves up and down. The second is a meter that measures the stress level from 0 to 100. There is also a green light that changes to red when stress levels are above normal and finally, on top of the display there is a message that indicates the stress level of the speaker.
"This is a really neat application, and the kind of thing we want to see more of," says Paul Amery, director of the Skype Developer Program. He calls the Lie Detector add-on the latest in a series of Skype Extras that are designed to enhance the VoIP experience for customers of Skype, a subsidiary of eBay.
"We are delighted to be able to introduce this unique software to Skype's premium offering and will continue to work closely with them to develop new software-based communication applications," BATM's CEO, Zvi Marom, said in a statement.
Kishkish has also designed voice mail, call recorder, book and mobile applications for Skype.
The Skype Extras offering includes more than 100 other add-ons that include things like file sharing, language translation, call recording, ringtone hijacking and a mortgage payment calculator. Another Skype Extra, called the Love Detector from Nemesysco, reportedly analyzes the voice on the other end of the call to detect minute indications of emotional arousal.