Software Predicts When Workers Will Go Postal

from the how-many-false-positives? dept

MSNBC is reporting about a new software for the workplace that analyzes individuals' emails and tries to predict when a worker is threatening to go postal. Besides the obvious privacy violation questions this raises, I wonder how accurate it can actually be. For instance, most emails I write tend to be fairly normal. But, if you happened to read any of the emails I've sent recently to poorly performing customer service departments at various ISPs or computer makers, you might notice a "sudden change" in my demeanor that suggests I'm about to go postal. Email can sometimes be a "useful" release of stress, rather than an actual indicator of pre-violent activities.