ONLINE CRIMINALS FACE BEING 'TYPECAST' BY NEW FORENSIC TECHNIQUE
The way a criminal uses a computer keyboard could soon be the vital lead Police are looking for in tracking down online paedophiles and fraudsters, according to researchers at Newcastle University.
The team, headed by Associate Professor Roy Maxion, has discovered what they believe is a way of determining a typist's age, sex and culture within ten keystrokes by monitoring the speed and rhythm of the fingers.
Professor Maxion's colleague, former Northumbrian Police Detective Chief
Inspector Paul Butler, now head of the University's CyberCrime and Computer Security department, said: "Roy's research has the potential to be a fantastic tool to aid intelligence gathering for crime fighting agencies, in particular serious and organised crime and for those tracking down paedophiles."
Speaking to reporters, he added that: "His work has enabled him to identify people by the way they type. We're looking at the application of the research, particularly in relation to internet grooming."
He warned potential offenders that "If children are talking to each other on Windows Live or MSN Messenger, we are looking at ways of providing the chatroom moderators with the technology to be able to see whether an adult is on there by the way they type."
Mr Butler, who said that the University was planning to submit a funding proposal to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, believed that the technology could be extended to preventing convicted sex offenders committing further crimes.
He added that: "As part of a sexual offences prevention order, courts currently have the power to ban a sex offender from using a computer. With this technology the courts could force the offender to provide an example of their typing as a way of ensuring they don't use a computer. This could then be analysed to see whether the sex offender has been using internet chatrooms."
Mr Butler said that the technology could also be used to prevent fraud at "devices such as cash machines", adding that: "the private sector are keen to see whether this technology can be used as an additional tool for identity verification, such as in online banking."
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