Summary Fiona Ferguson says she has a "fundamental ethical objection".
LONDON: A British politician has resigned over a county council s decision to use voice analysis technology that some liken to lie detector tests on people claiming a tax discount.
Fiona Ferguson, leader of the Conservative group on Cornwall Council in southwestern England, says she has a "fundamental ethical objection" to this use of the technology. She quit the county Cabinet on Tuesday.
The council said Wednesday it had hired private outsourcing firm Capita to use "specialist technology" to assess people claiming a discount for one-adult households. The council says it hopes to save 1 million pounds ($1.6 million) currently lost to fraud.
Capita claims its "voice risk analysis" technology can identify "the effects of emotions, stress, cognitive activity and other factors through micro-changes in the callers voice frequencies."
