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Polygraph "Testing"
Is a Fraud


Make-believe science yields make-believe security.

Did you know:

• The consensus view among scientists is that polygraph testing has no scientific basis?
• The FBI considered the creator of the lie detector test to be a phony and a crackpot?
• The man who started the CIA's polygraph program thought that plants can read human thoughts?
• The foremost polygraph advocate in academia was discredited by a federal judge?
• The longest polygraph school produces newly minted polygraphers in just 14 weeks -- less than half the time it takes to graduate from a typical barber college?
• The National Center for Credibility Assessment (the erstwhile DoD Polygraph Institute) suppressed a study suggesting that innocent blacks are more likely to fail the polygraph than innocent whites?
• The researcher who developed the U.S. Government's polygraph Test for Espionage and Sabotage "thought the whole security screening program should be shut down?"
• The National Academy of Sciences concluded that "[polygraph testing's] accuracy in distinguishing actual or potential security violators from innocent test takers is insufficient to justify reliance on its use in employee security screening in federal agencies?"
• Spies Ignatz Theodor Griebl, Karel Frantisek Koecher, Jiri Pasovsky, Larry Wu-tai Chin, Aldrich Hazen Ames, Nicolás Sirgado, Ana Belen Montes, and Leandro Aragoncillo all passed the polygraph?
• One of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history passed the polygraph and killed again, while an innocent suspect failed?
• Al-Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents know full well that the lie detector is bogus?
• You don't have to be a psychopath, go to spy school, or somehow believe your own lies to fool the polygraph? (We'll reveal how it's done.)

The Lie Behind the Lie Detector

(also available in EPUB and MOBI/Kindle formats)

The dirty little secret behind the polygraph is that the "test" depends on trickery, not science. The person being "tested" is not supposed to know that while the polygraph operator declares that all questions must be answered truthfully, warning that the slightest hint of deception will be detected, he secretly assumes that denials in response to certain questions -- called "control" questions -- will be less than truthful. An example of a commonly used control question is, "Did you ever lie to get out of trouble?" The polygrapher steers the examinee into a denial by warning, for example, that anyone who would do so is the same kind of person who would commit the kind of behavior that is under investigation and then lie about it. But secretly, it is assumed that everyone has lied to get out of trouble.

The polygraph tracings don't do a special dance when a person lies. The polygrapher scores the test by comparing physiological responses (breathing, blood pressure, heart, and perspiration rates) to these probable-lie control questions with reactions to relevant questions such as, "Did you ever commit an act of espionage against the United States?" (commonly asked in security screening). If the former reactions are greater, the examinee passes; if the latter are greater, he fails. If responses to both "control" and relevant questions are about the same, the result is deemed inconclusive.

The test also includes irrelevant questions such as, "Are the lights on in this room?" The polygrapher falsely explains that such questions provide a "baseline for truth," because the true answer is obvious. But in reality, they are not scored at all! They merely serve as buffers between pairs of relevant and "control" questions.

The simplistic methodology used in polygraph testing has no grounding in the scientific method: it is no more scientific than astrology or tarot cards. Government agencies value it because people who don't realize it's a fraud sometimes make damaging admissions. But as a result of reliance on this voodoo science, the truthful are often falsely branded as liars while the deceptive pass through.

Perversely, the "test" is inherently biased against the truthful, because the more honestly one answers the "control" questions, and as a consequence feels less stress when answering them, the more likely one is to fail. Conversely, liars can beat the test by covertly augmenting their physiological reactions to the "control" questions. This can be done, for example, by doing mental arithmetic, thinking exciting thoughts, altering one's breathing pattern, or simply biting the side of the tongue. Truthful persons can also use these techniques to protect themselves against the risk of a false positive outcome. Although polygraph operators frequently claim they can detect such countermeasures, no polygrapher has ever demonstrated any ability to do so, and peer-reviewed research suggests that they can't.

Latest News:

A Public Challenge to "Expert Polygraph Examiner" David Goldberg
AntiPolygraph.org co-founder George Maschke challenges polygrapher David Goldberg to explain why if, as he claims, you can't beat a polygraph test, any polygrapher would care whether anyone has looked up how to beat a polygraph test.

Senior Pentagon Advisor Ricky Buria Allegedly "Failed to Pass a Polygraph" in Leak Investigation
Hugo Lowell reports for the Guardian in a 9 May 2025 article titled, "White House to take choice of Pentagon chief of staff out of Hegseth's hands" that the White House Office of Presidential Personnel has forbidden Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth from making Ricky Buria, whom Hegseth designated in April 2025 as a "Senior Advisor," his chief of staff.

Of Polygraphs and E-meters
ClearanceJobs.com director of content Lindy Kyzer and former security clearance attorney Sean Bigley discussed the similarities between the U.S. government’s polygraph screening practices and the Church of Scientology’s practice of E-meter auditing for the ClearedCast podcast.

Jeff Stein on the Trump Administration's Polygraph Crusade Against Leakers
Veteran journalist Jeff Stein comments on the Trump Administration’s efforts to identify employees who are speaking with journalists without authorization in a paywalled Substack post titled, “Trump & Co’s Polygraph Pandemonium.”

Jack Hopkins on Polygraph Screening
Podcaster Jack Hopkins has published on Substack a thoughtful and well-researched essay on polygraph screening titled, "Kash Patel's Deception: Stop Believing Polygraphs-Science Unmasks the Real Lies."

FBI Begins Polygraph Hunt for Leakers
Ellen Nakashima and Hannah Natanson report for the Washington Post in an article titled, "FBI, national security agencies using polygraphs for 'leak' hunts."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Threatened to Hook Senior Officers Up to a Fucking Polygraph
Nancy A. Youssef, Alexander Ward, and Vera Bergengruen report for the Wall Street Journal in a 24 April 2025 article titled, "Polygraph Threats, Leaks and Infighting: The Chaos Inside Hegseth's Pentagon."

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem: "We're Polygraphing Everybody!"
In a video clip posted to X on Wednesday, 23 April 2025, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem boasted to broadcaster Tim Pool, "we're polygraphing everybody!"

Pentagon Officials Warned of Potential Polygraph Testing
Michael Evans of the London Times reports in a paywalled article titled "Pete Hegseth's Pentagon descends into fear, loathing and lie detectors."

About 50 DHS Employees Polygraphed in Recent Weeks
Gabe Cohen reports for CNN in a 12 April 2025 article titled, "Dozens of DHS staffers, including top FEMA officials, given lie detector tests over alleged leaks."

Polygraphs Used in Ukrainian US Minerals Deal Leak Investigation
Christopher Miller reports for the Financial Times in an article titled, "Kyiv probes leak of US minerals deal with polygraph tests."

Acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton Polygraphed in DHS Leak Investigation
In this instance, it appears that no information that could credibly be construed to be properly classified had in fact "leaked" or that any crime had been committed, but rather that accurate media reporting on plans to radically shrink FEMA had embarrassed DHS Secretary Noem.

DoD May Use Polygraphs in Musk Pentagon Visit Leak Investigation
Following a Thursday, 20 March 2025 report by the New York Times that "[t]he Pentagon was scheduled on Friday to brief Elon Musk on the U.S. military's plan for any war that might break out with China," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's chief of staff, Joseph R. "Joe" Kasper on Friday, 21 March signed a memorandum announcing the beginning of an investigation "into unauthorized disclosures" and seeking support from the Director for Defense Intelligence (Counterintelligence, Law Enforcement, and Security).

Arizona Department of Public Safety Appointed Daniel Wayne Caputo Head of Polygraph Unit Despite Arizona Supreme Court Finding of Noncompliance
Documents obtained under the Arizona Public Records Act and made available to AntiPolygraph.org raise serious questions regarding the current head of the Arizona Department of Safety’s (AZDPS’s) polygraph unit, Daniel Wayne Caputo.

George Maschke on DHS Polygraph Screening for Leakers
On Sunday, 9 March 2025, journalist James Menendez spoke for the BBC World Service’s Newshour program with AntiPolygraph.org co-founder George Maschke about the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to use polygraph screening in an attempt to ferret out leakers.

DHS Begins Polygraph Hunt for Leakers
Julia Ainsley and Jonathan Allen report for NBC News that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has started using polygraphs in an attempt to find employees suspected of leaking operational information to the press.

DCSA Profiles NCCA Polygraph Instructor Mark B. Pszenny
John Joyce writes for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) about Mark Pszenny, an instructor at the federal polygraph school, the National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCCA), with a focus on his talent as a musician.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on Polygraphs
On Sunday, 23 February 2025, President Trump announced on Truth Social that he has chosen political commentator Dan Bongino, a former New York Police Department officer and U.S. Secret Service special agent, to serve as deputy director of the FBI. Bongino's opinions on polygraphy may thus be a factor in FBI polygraph policy going forward. Regrettably, Bongino seems to be a believer in the evil art.

New SimpleX Chat-based AntiPolygraph.org Chat Room
After nearly three years of running a Rocket.Chat server, we're retiring it and switching to SimpleX Chat, a secure messaging service that offers some privacy advantages.

Utah: "Victims Deserve Justice, Not Polygraphs"
Daily Utah Chronicle opinion writer Charlotte Hansen advocates for passage of a bill that would prohibit the use of a polygraph examination on a victim of a sexual offense.

DHS Adds Question About "Unauthorized Communications with Media and Nonprofit Organizations" to Polygraph Screening Protocol
Ellen M. Gilmer reports for Bloomberg Government in a paywalled article. Excerpt: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warned employees that polygraph tests will be used to help crack down on leaks that agency officials say have foiled immigration enforcement plans.

Lithuanian Ministry of Defense Wants to Polygraph Foreigners
Following the Ukrainian government’s recent decision to start polygraphing foreign volunteers, Lithuanian news site LRT.lt reports that the country’s Ministry of Defense wants to polygraph foreign civilians.

CVSA Con Man Charles Humble Sued for Fraud (Again)
Former Arkansas Department of Corrections employee Trayesha Booth has filed a lawsuit against Charles Humble and his companies, NITV, LLC and NITV Federal Services, LCC.

Ukraine Enacts Polygraph Requirement for Foreigners Seeking to Join Armed Forces
What could possibly go wrong?

CBP Drops Questions About Illegal Drug Use From Pre-Employment Polygraph Screening
A moderator of the U.S. government-controlled Reddit community r/borderpatrolapplicant writes that as of January 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will no longer ask applicants about drug use during pre-employment polygraph screening.

Possible Polygraph Dragnet in Investigation of Leak of Classified Documents on Israeli Preparations to Attack Iran
A leak investigation is almost certainly underway concerning the appearance of highly classified U.S. intelligence community documents on a private Telegram channel. A polygraph dragnet to identify the leaker may ensue.

Oakland City Council Budgets $800,000 for Polygraph Screening of Police Applicants
Roselyn Romero reports for The Oaklandside that the City Council of Oakland, California, has approved contracts totaling $800,000 to two private companies for the polygraph screening of Oakland Police Department applicants.

Steve Wilkes Show Guest Kandie Meinhart Passed Polygraph But Pleaded Guilty to Murder of Infant Daughter
On Thursday, 18 July 2024, Kandie Alisha Meinhart of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in a plea agreement pleaded guilty to third degree murder in connection with the death of her infant daughter, Li'Aziah Thomas, and was sentenced to 30-60 years in prison. Meinhart had previously professed innocence in the matter.