Polygraph "Tests" and How to Beat Them

Polygraph, or "lie detector" testing, has long been discredited from a scientific standpoint. Yet it has been embraced by the United States government for decades, and in 2020 it is the centerpiece of American counterintelligence policy.

Employees and contractors of such agencies as the CIA, NSA, FBI (and numerous others) are required to undergo pre-employment and recurring polygraph screening. Yet there is no documented instance of the polygraph ever catching a spy.

In this talk, AntiPolygraph.org co-founder George Maschke will address how this state of affairs came to be. The talk will address polygraphy's scientific shortcomings, why it poses a threat to innocent test takers, and will explain proven strategies for passing (or beating) a polygraph "test."

The talk will also address the U.S. government's recent efforts to suppress the teaching of methods for fooling the polygraph.

This topic will be of particular interest to the hacker community because many IT jobs with the U.S. government and its contractors require that the applicant submit to polygraph screening.