Lie Dectector deemed unreliable for security screening

[Lucky]

http://www.sltrib.com/10102002/nation_w/5766.htm

The National Academy of Sciences declared this week that polygraph examinations are dangerously unreliable and the federal government should cease depending on them to screen for security risks.
The academy's 18-month, federally-funded study found that the so-called lie detector not only incorrectly deems large numbers of people who are telling the truth to be liars, but may have allowed spies and others posing security risks into sensitive positions because they were able to pass polygraph tests....




If agencies follow through on the recommendations, this will have far-reaching implications. Pretty scary read.

 

[ebloom]

No surprise here. So-called lie detectors are notoriously inaccurate.

 

[bmacd]

they are very easy to fool IME.

-=bmacd=-

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

At the risk of appearing obtuse, what do you find frightening? I am missing something

 

[Lucky]

FBI, NSA, CIA, etc have all relied partially on lie dectectors both when hiring people and when interrogating people. A quote from the article:

The academy's 18-month, federally-funded study found that the so-called lie detector not only incorrectly deems large numbers of people who are telling the truth to be liars, but may have allowed spies and others posing security risks into sensitive positions because they were able to pass polygraph tests.

Now, obviously a passed test would not be the only factor in allowing people into these positions, but it does raise some concerns to me. Also, the report indicates it pretty unlreliable in the criminal justice system too.