Big Brother Getting Skills

Researchers at the University of East Anglia, in England, are developing computer methods to read people’s lips captured on video and convert the information to text, according to United Press International. Police hope to use the technology for fighting crime and protecting against terrorism.

Although the technology is still being developed, researchers are optimistic that they will succeed. And law-enforcement officials are interested because fewer people know how to read lips than in the past. However, the presence of such technology could raise privacy concerns if it were widely used. —Dan Carnevale