The Lie Behind the Lie Detector

We wrote this short book to call public attention to the dangers of polygraphy and to protect the innocent from polygraph abuse. Because of our government’s reliance on this pseudoscientific procedure, thousands of truthful persons have been falsely accused of deception and suffered serious adverse consequences. On the other hand, deceptive persons can easily defeat polygraph “tests” through countermeasures, as did convicted spy Aldrich H. Ames. We hope that this book will help to stimulate informed public debate about polygraph policy and hasten the day when our government comes to its senses and ends its reliance on this latter-day trial by ordeal. Our reliance on unreliable polygraphy is undermining—not strengthening—our national security. Society does not need to find an accurate lie detector (it may never happen) before getting rid of a bogus one. Polygraphy must be abolished. We are distributing this book in electronic format free of charge in order to reach the broadest audience possible. We didn’t write this book to make money. We only ask that you tell others about this book if you find it informative and useful. This book is formatted for double-sided printing, and we encourage you to print out as many copies as you like to share with your family, friends, and colleagues. We view this book as a work in progress and plan to release updated editions as new information warrants. Check AntiPolygraph.org for the latest edition. Contact us to learn how you can help to put an end to polygraphy. We welcome your comments by e-mail at the addresses below. If you wish to protect the privacy of your correspondence, e-mail us for our PGP public keys. Cover 1 Half title page 3 Title page 5 Copyright notice 6 Contents 7 Acknowledgments 13 Foreword 14 Introduction 15 1 - On the Validity of Polygraphy 18 2 - On Polygraph Policy 30 3 - Polygraphy Exposed 86 4 - Polygraph Countermeasures 121 5 - Grievance Procedures 164 Afterword 173 Appendix A - Law Enforcement Pre-Employment "Test" 175 Appendix B - Modified General Question "Test" 177 Appendix C - Zone Comparison "Test" 179 Appendix D - Sample Privacy Act Request Letter 182 Appendix E - Comprehensive Employee Polygraph Protection Act 183 Appendix F - Minnesota Polygraph Statute 195 Appendix G - Polygraph Countermeasure Review 197 Bibliography 200 About this book 220 polygraph,lie detector Polygraph (lie detector) validity, policy, procedure, and countermeasures