[wordup] Defense Dept expert calls for banning info on tricking polygraphs

[Adam Shand]

You can find the actual ebook online here, I've put a copy on my site 
for posterity as well:

   http://antipolygraph.org/pubs.shtml

Actually what's most interesting to me is learning how they work.  I've 
always assumed that it couldn't be that hard to manipulate the results 
but never bothered researching exactly how they work or how to go about it.

adam.

Via: politech at politechbot.com
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 09:56:27 -0800

Back in the chaos of the [previous, '60's] anti-war movement, I had a
neighbor/friend/activist who had to take a polygraph test (don't 
remember from whom nor why).  He studied carefully; took the test ... 
and passed with flying colors -- even though he was "guilty" as hell (of
whatever).  He was just an average college dropout; not an experienced 
or trained professional liar.

Ever since then, I've looked at claims and uses (abuses?!) of polygraph
testing with GREAT -- well EARNED! -- distrust ... and certainly 
understand why their use is (always???) banned in criminal court 
prosecutions.

Now, a Dept of Defense polygraph expert -- who TEACHES how to mislead a
polygraph (thus proving it can be learned and done) -- wants to limit 
such knowledge only to the elite few.  One more step in our dangerously
malignant police state ("Patriot" Act, DoD/Poindexter's TIA, "Patriot" 
II, etc.).

However, thanks to this effort to censor what he teaches to The Chosen
Ones, I've heard for the first time (below), of a free e-book that 
appears to disclose for freedom-lovers (whether we deserve freedom, or 
not) some/many of the secrets that the DoD ex-spurt seeks to censor.

I just downloaded my copy -- before the thought police prohibit it. 
Should you?

--jim
Jim Warren; jwarren at well.com, technology-related public-policy advocate

[Soc.of Prof.Journalists-Nor.Cal.James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award;
Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (1992, its first year);
Playboy Foundation Hugh Hefner First-Amendment Award (1994);
founded the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences; blah blah blah]


At 4:51 PM +0100 2/25/03, "George W. Maschke" <maschke at ANTIPOLYGRAPH.ORG>
posted in FOI-L:
>Paul M. Menges, the federal polygraph examiner who teaches the 
>countermeasure course at the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute has 
>published an article in which he calls for the criminalization of public 
>speech about polygraph countermeasures. His proposal would ban books like 
>AntiPolygraph.org's popular free e-book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector. 
>I have written a formal response to Mr. Menges' commentary:
>
>http://antipolygraph.org/articles/article-029.shtml
>
>George W. Maschke
>AntiPolygraph.org

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From: 
http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/200302/msg00189.html

If it does not work, still use it. Stupid!!

Dave

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Aftergood, Steven" <saftergood at fas.org>
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 10:48:42 -0500
To: secrecy_news at lists.fas.org
Subject: Secrecy News -- 02/20/03

PENTAGON FORESEES EXPANDED POLYGRAPH TESTING

Despite escalating criticism concerning the validity of
polygraph testing, the Defense Department may seek to
increase reliance on the polygraph as a security and
counterintelligence tool, according to a new report to
Congress.

In 1991, Congress authorized the Pentagon to conduct no more
than 5,000 counterintelligence-scope polygraph (CSP) tests
annually (not including tests on intelligence agency
personnel, which are performed under the authority of the
Director of Central Intelligence).

But "since that time, the Department has identified
additional vulnerabilities and threats to classified
information that did not exist over a decade ago,"
according to the new report.

In particular, "the broad based use of information
technology systems, coupled with the development of
information sharing capabilities over the internet and
through other electronic media, require the updating of DoD
information assurance policies and practices to keep pace
with this emerging threat."

"These enhanced security requirements may require a CSP
polygraph examination for access to DoD information
systems."

Accordingly, "an increase in the CSP ceiling ... may be
requested from Congress," the report stated.

The Defense Department's "Annual Polygraph Report to
Congress, Fiscal Year 2002," contains recent program
statistics, anecdotal summaries of cases in which polygraph
testing aided investigators, and descriptions of current
polygraph research initiatives.  The report is available
here:

  http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/polygraph/dod-2002.html

The new DoD report attempts to deflect an extremely critical
evaluation of polygraph testing that was published by the
National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of
Sciences in October 2002.

"It is important to note that the NRC report... concluded
that the polygraph technique is the best tool currently
available to detect deception and assess credibility," the
Pentagon said.  But this is quite disingenuous.

What the NRC report actually said, critic George Maschke of
Antipolygraph.org pointed out, is that "[s]ome potential
alternatives to the polygraph show promise, but none has
yet been shown to outperform the polygraph" (p. 8-4).  As
for the polygraph itself, "[t]here is essentially no
evidence on the incremental validity of polygraph testing,
that is, its ability to add predictive value to that which
can be achieved by other methods" (p. 8-2).

While the majority of persons who undergo polygraph testing
do so without incident, it is a career-ender for some and a
deeply disconcerting experience for quite a few others.
And at least some polygraph examiners apparently engage in
occasional free-lance interrogation of their own.

One recent applicant for employment at the CIA told Secrecy
News that his polygraph examination included the question
"Do you have friends in the media?"

------ End of Forwarded Message

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