FC: Defense Dept expert calls for banning info on tricking polygraphs

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 09:56:27 -0800
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>, Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
From: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>
Subject: fwd: Federal Polygrapher Calls for Outlawing Countermeasure Info
Cc: "George W. Maschke" <maschke () ANTIPOLYGRAPH ORG>

Back in the chaos of the [previous, '60's] anti-war movement, I had a 
neighbor/friend/activist who had to take a polygraph test (don't remember 
from whom nor why).  He studied carefully; took the test ... and passed 
with flying colors -- even though he was "guilty" as hell (of 
whatever).  He was just an average college dropout; not an experienced or 
trained professional liar.

Ever since then, I've looked at claims and uses (abuses?!) of polygraph 
testing with GREAT -- well EARNED! -- distrust ... and certainly understand 
why their use is (always???) banned in criminal court prosecutions.

Now, a Dept of Defense polygraph expert -- who TEACHES how to mislead a 
polygraph (thus proving it can be learned and done) -- wants to limit such 
knowledge only to the elite few.  One more step in our dangerously 
malignant police state ("Patriot" Act, DoD/Poindexter's TIA, "Patriot" II, 
etc.).

However, thanks to this effort to censor what he teaches to The Chosen 
Ones, I've heard for the first time (below), of a free e-book that appears 
to disclose for freedom-lovers (whether we deserve freedom, or not) 
some/many of the secrets that the DoD ex-spurt seeks to censor.

I just downloaded my copy -- before the thought police prohibit it. Should you?

--jim
Jim Warren; jwarren () well com, technology-related public-policy advocate

[Soc.of Prof.Journalists-Nor.Cal.James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award;
Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (1992, its first year);
Playboy Foundation Hugh Hefner First-Amendment Award (1994);
founded the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences; blah blah blah]


At 4:51 PM +0100 2/25/03, "George W. Maschke" <maschke () ANTIPOLYGRAPH ORG> 
posted in FOI-L:
> Paul M. Menges, the federal polygraph examiner who teaches the 
> countermeasure course at the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute has 
> published an article in which he calls for the criminalization of public 
> speech about polygraph countermeasures. His proposal would ban books like 
> AntiPolygraph.org's popular free e-book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector. 
> I have written a formal response to Mr. Menges' commentary:
>
> http://antipolygraph.org/articles/article-029.shtml
>
> George W. Maschke
> AntiPolygraph.org




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