Do any agencies ask relevant questions during the polygraph relating to filesharing or copyright infringements? Also, is filesharing a disqualifier for attaining a security clearance or employment with any federal agencies?

Zarathustra wrote on May 31^st, 2007 at 1:15am:


No, there are no relevant questions about filesharing or copyright infringement on federal full-scope (or, for that matter, counterintelligence-scope) polygraph examinations. In fact, in the counterintelligence-scope Test for Espionage and Sabotage, violation of a software copyright may be the subject of a directed-lie control question.

Illegal filesharing is not an automatic disqualifier for attaining a security clearance or employment. However, admissions of substantial illegal activity of any kind may result in a denial and a referral to law enforcement.

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No. In this context, "media" means physical devices on which data is stored, for example, a diskette, a DVD, or a thumb drive. An example of such unauthorized introducing of media would be backing up one's office data on a personally owned external hard drive when the employer's policy is that backups are to be made only to the organization's file server.

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It's virtually impossible to check. I've seen no indication that background investigations include seeking information on an individual's internet service provider (ISP) or assigned IP address(es). Unless a past employer has disciplined the individual for improper use of an information system and mentions it to a background investigator when asked, there is virtually no way of ascertaining such.