Original reporting and commentary about polygraphs, voice stress analyzers, and other purported "lie detectors."
An article published today in a small town newspaper provides a good example of the sort of shoddy reporting that perpetuates the myth of the lie detector. Lisa Rogers reports for the Gadsden, Alabama Times: Polygraphs useful law enforcement tool By Lisa Rogers Times Staff Writer Published: Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 9:37 p.m. A suspect …
On Friday, 19 February 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the conclusion of its investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks. The DOJ maintains that Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivans, who in 2002 passed a polygraph test regarding the anthrax attacks, was the sole perpetrator. In an investigative summary (640 kb PDF), the DOJ characterizes Ivins’ passing of …
In an oral history posted on YouTube, musician Tom Henry recounts the story of how, as a young Navy seaman, he was caught with a pound of marijuana in his locker, but escaped punishment after fooling the lie detector: The technique Tom thought of for fooling the lie detector (dissociation) wasn’t very sophisticated. But it …
In 2003, AntiPolygraph.org’s George Maschke was interviewed by Nick Frost for the tongue-in-cheek 2003 British television series, Danger: Incoming Attack. This segment, which aired as part of episode 5, may now be viewed here:
Congressional Quarterly national security editor Jeff Stein discusses a jihadist article on polygraph countermeasures recently discovered and translated by AntiPolygraph.org: Lying in Wait: Al Qaeda “knows that polygraphs are unreliable and has an idea of how to beat them,” says a former U.S. Army linguist. George W. Maschke, a translator fluent in Arabic and Farsi, …
Don Mackay reports for the Mirror: PAEDOPHILES and other sex offenders could fool lie detector tests, experts warned yesterday. As part of bail conditions the Home Office is drawing up plans to use polygraphs to monitor whether sex offenders will strike again. But the British Psychological Society said the tests could be beaten – and …
In a press release by Rovner & Associates, Dr. Louis Rovner makes some dubious claims regarding polygraphy: WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ — “Almost no human being can beat a polygraph test,” says Dr. Louis Rovner, a noted psychologist and polygraph expert in Woodland Hills, California. In fact, lie detection technology has become so …
Akron, Ohio Beacon Journal staff writer Julie Wallace reports. Excerpt: A Summit County Board of Elections employee quizzed as part of a probe into a candidate’s missing petitions failed two polygraph tests after admitting using drugs and alcohol before the tests, law enforcement officials said. Several sources familiar with the investigation identified the employee — …
Ann Geracimos reports for the Washington Times. Unfortunately, it seems that Mrs. Geracimos interviewed only polygraphers for this article, and in explaining to her how polygraph “tests” are interpreted, they apparently neglected to explain the trickery behind “control” questions. Excerpt: The word “polygraph” means “many writings” in graph form — a simple definition that gets …
Brendan I. Koerner writes for The Village Voice. Excerpt: Q: I’ve been asked by a potential employer to take a lie-detector test. There was a fair amount of pot smoking in my distant past, and I’m worried it’ll disqualify me from the job, which I desperately need. Aren’t there ways to beat the machine? Before …