Original reporting and commentary about polygraphs, voice stress analyzers, and other purported "lie detectors."
CNN senior writer Zachary B. Wolf comments on the Trump administration’s use of polygraphs to go after federal employees who speak with journalists. His well-researched article, “The Trump administration revives an old intimidation tactic: the polygraph machine,” was published on 5 June 2025. Excerpt: When President Ronald Reagan’s White House threatened thousands of government officials …
In an article titled “Security access denial at issue,” Washington Times reporter Bill Gertz writes, among other things, about the case of an NSA employee who was accused of espionage and forced out following inconclusive polygraph results. Excerpt: U.S. intelligence agencies are abusing rules on access to classified data to punish employees who upset security …
Charles P. Pierce writes on pre-employment polygraph screening in the cover story of the 3 August 2003 edition of the Boston Globe Magazine. Excerpt: WAS HE SWEATING? Of course he was sweating. But he didn’t want to be sweating, and he didn’t want his heart to race this way, because he knew what that did …
Attorney Mark S. Zaid discusses polygraph policy in this op-ed column. Excerpt: In the wake of the FBI’s embarrassment at having one of its own caught spying for the Russians, former FBI director William Webster was appointed to head a commission to find out what went wrong. The commission concluded that lax security allowed Special …
Diana Ray reports in the 2-9 June 2001 issue of Insight magazine. Excerpt: The FBI is requiring employees to undergo increased polygraph testing as a result of security lapses, but cool liars are able to evade detection by the simple machines. Polygraph testing did not keep Aldrich H. Ames from selling CIA secrets to the …