Original reporting and commentary about polygraphs, voice stress analyzers, and other purported "lie detectors."
Jessica Schreifels reports for Pro Publica and The Salt Lake Tribune. Excerpt: For years, Utah allowed government officials to do something other states banned: ask a person who reports a sexual assault to take a polygraph test. That will change soon. Earlier this month, state lawmakers passed a bill that prohibits police and other government …
Science journalist Sarah Scoles reports for the digital magazine Undark on the shortcomings of polygraphy and explores proposed alternative methods of lie detection based on eye movement, electroencepholography (EEG), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). AntiPolygraph.org co-founder George Maschke is among those interviewed for this article.
On 20 February 2026, Mike McKnight reported for WOWT that the Omaha Police Department has eliminated its requirement that applicants submit to polygraph screening. This short article is cited here in full: OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The Omaha Police Department has eliminated one of its requirements for hiring new recruits — the polygraph test, commonly …
CBS News national security coordinating producer James LaPorta reports in an article titled, “DNI Tulsi Gabbard orders U.S. intel agency leaders to stem leaks.” Excerpt: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in the last month issued a memo ordering U.S. intelligence agencies to conduct a review of whether random polygraph examinations of their employees or …
On 18 February 2025, Bloomberg Government reporter Ellen M. Gilmer broke the news that U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had a week earlier “issued an internal directive that all polygraphs the Department of Homeland Security administers must include a question about unauthorized communications with media and nonprofit organizations, according to a memo …
Alex Horton, Tara Copp, and Ellen Nakashima report for the Washington Post in a 1 October 2025 article titled, “Pentagon plans widespread random polygraphs, NDAs to stanch leaks.” Excerpt: The Pentagon plans to impose strict nondisclosure agreements andrandom polygraph testing for scores of people in its headquarters, including many top officials, according to two people …
Marko Hakamaa reports for SecurityClearanceJobsBlog.com in a post titled, “Polygraph Timelines Affected by DRP and Retirements.” Excerpt: Previously, polygraphs were already the part of getting security clearance eligibility that took the longest with the Intelligence Community agencies. This was due to polygraph examiner shortages and scheduling backlogs which included having to test some individuals multiple …
The White House has reportedly directed the Department of Defense to stop polygraphing for leakers after Patrick Reed Weaver, a senior advisor to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, raised concerns. Dan Lamothe and Ellen Nakashima report for the Washington Post in an article titled, “Hegseth team told to stop polygraph tests after complaint to White …
New York Times reporter Adam Goldman, following up on his earlier reporting that senior FBI executives were being polygraphed at a “rapid rate,” provides new details about the FBI’s use of polygraphs to go after journalistic sources in a new article titled, “The F.B.I. Is Using Polygraphs to Test Officials’ Loyalty.” Excerpt: Typically, the F.B.I. …
Former CIA officer Brian O’Neill has written a cogent and well-researched essay for the non-profit, independent news organization, The Conversation titled, “Trump administration’s lie detector campaign against leakers is unlikely to succeed and could divert energy from national security priorities.” Excerpt: The Trump administration has recently directed that a new wave of polygraphs be administered …