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Biometric imaginaries: Formatting voice, body, identity to data
1University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Social Studies of Science
|March 8, 2022
Summary
This study reveals how voice identification and analysis (VIA) technologies reduce voice to a fixed "sound object" linked to identity. This sociotechnical imaginary enables mass audio surveillance via telecommunications infrastructure.
Area of Science:
- Sociotechnical studies
- Biometric technology analysis
- Surveillance studies
Background:
- Early voice identification in the 1940s established a link between voice, body, and identity.
- Contemporary voice identification and analysis (VIA) technologies build upon these foundational concepts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the sociotechnical imaginary shaping VIA technologies.
- To interrogate the conceptualization of voice, body, and identity in voice identification.
- To analyze how industry practices influence the development and deployment of VIA.
Main Methods:
- Historical analysis of a key 1940s article on Voiceprint identification.
- Survey of patents detailing VIA systems, voice data collection, and analysis.
- Examination of the conceptual underpinnings of VIA development.
Main Results:
- The VIA industry relies on conceptualizing voice as a fixed, measurable 'sound object' attached to identity.
- This reductionist view informs developers, framing technological limitations as 'big data' challenges.
- This reframing justifies integrating audio surveillance into telecommunications for large-scale voice data acquisition.
Conclusions:
- The development of VIA is embedded in a sociotechnical imaginary that links voice to a fixed identity.
- This imaginary facilitates the expansion of audio surveillance systems.
- Understanding this imaginary is crucial for critically assessing biometric listening technologies.
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