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US Gov't Circulates Watch List of Buyers of Polygraph Training Materials

Posted by timothy on from the and-if-you-have-nothing-to-hide dept.

George Maschke writes "Investigative reporter Marisa Taylor of the McClatchy newspaper group reports that a list of 4,904 individuals who purchased a book, DVD, or personal training on how to pass a polygraph test has been circulated to nearly 30 federal agencies including the CIA, NSA, DIA, DOE, TSA, IRS, and FDA. Most of the individuals on the list purchased former police polygraphist Doug Williams' book, How to Sting the Polygraph, which explains how to pass or beat a polygraph test. Williams also sells a DVD on the subject and offers in-person training. In February 2013, federal law enforcement officials seized Williams' business records, from which the watch list was primarily compiled. Williams has not been charged with a crime."

14 of 303 comments (clear)

  1. When will they realize by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When will they realize that their entire polygraph system is flawed in principle? It's mumbo jumbo! Might as well be reading tea leaves. It only works if the person being "tested" believes that it works.

    1. Re:When will they realize by lxs · · Score: 5, Funny

      Now you've put all the readers of my tea leaves self-defense newsletter on a watchlist. Thanks!

    2. Re:When will they realize by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Flawed in principle" is putting it rather mildly. I'd put it as "complete and utter bullshit." Polygraphs are on a level with dousing and voodoo dolls.

      We should really just go back to good old Phrenology. Imagine how sophisticated our discernment of the criminal type could be, now that we have rapid 3d scanning technology!

      We could even have employees shave their heads, and do a daily scan as they walk in the door. If the bump indicative of 'leaking tendencies' or 'disloyalty' increases in size, we'll know something is up. This plan is practically infallible.

  2. overreach by SkunkPussy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That is pretty shady that they seize his materials, use it to their advantage, but then don't charge him with any crime. That's basically tyranny.

    --
    SURELY NOT!!!!!
    1. Re:overreach by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

      That is pretty shady that they seize his materials, use it to their advantage, but then don't charge him with any crime. That's basically tyranny.

      Commies like you have no faith in America. It's not like he had any reasonable expectation of security in his person, papers, and effects or anything, now is it?

  3. NSA will use the list to recruit new hires by JoeyRox · · Score: 5, Funny

    Since the job obviously involves repeatedly lying to the American public.

  4. Rather funny. . . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    . . . .that now you can be a suspect for owning a book or DVD. Good thing I never bought a copy of the Constitution . . .

    1. Re:Rather funny. . . . by c0lo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Good thing I never bought a copy of the Constitution . . .

      Yeah... In retrospect, this would have been a total waste of money.

      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
  5. Makes me wonder by onyxruby · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I have blatantly admonished the polygraph as being junk science online for close to 20 years now. I've pointed out how traitors from Ames to Snowden all passed the Polygraph with flying colors. I've also pointed out how there isn't a courtroom in this country that will accept the use of one. I've talked about how the scientific community considers them absolutely rubbish and no better than snake oil. I really can't think of a better way of how to illustrate that security theater is an active danger to this country than by citing the polygraph as example number 1.

    It makes me wonder if I'm on this list of theirs too...

  6. Re:Not even then by lxs · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Let's see if we can catch a dead salmon in a lie!

  7. Marisa Taylor's PGP Public Key by George+Maschke · · Score: 5, Informative

    I should have mentioned in the original post that investigative reporter Marisa Taylor of the McClatchy newspaper group has a PGP public key (7DCA14DC) that can be used to securely contact her. I've signed it with my own key (316A947C).

    --

    George W. Maschke
    AntiPolygraph.org

  8. Re:The Streisand effect strikes again by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They probably will, but with that many people on the list, the list becomes worthless.

    The author should put it up on Amazon for 99 cents for a limited time, given all this free publicity he'll probably sell a million copies.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  9. Re:Not even then by cffrost · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If our legal system was primarily driven by law then yes, but there is way too much politics involved here. Judges, the humans who get to decide such things, have a significant conflict of interests but will not recuse themselves, and it is unlikely they will rule against their own community's systematic behavior.

    I think judges should elected from pools of defense attorneys — no former prosecutors. Defense attorneys are used to defending people's Constitutional rights, while prosecutors are used to suppressing evidence and skirting Constitutional limits in order to put away "bad guys" even when the defendant is actually a "good guy." Defense attorneys give the people the benefit of the doubt, as opposed to the (police) state.

    --
    Thank you, Edward Snowden.

    "Arguments from authority are worthless." —Carl Sagan
  10. "HOW TO STING THE POLYGRAPH" IS FREE! by DougWilliams2072 · · Score: 5, Informative

    It has been free to the public since I testified in the U.S. Congress in support of the EPPA. Click here to read a transcript of my testimony: http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015011381806;view=1up;seq=281 (My testimony begins on pg 275) Here is an interesting piece of historical trivia: When I testified in Congress, I put my manual, HOW TO STING THE POLYGRAPH into the Congressional Record, and the Senators and Representatives distributed more copies of my manual between 1984 and 1988 than anyone has ever distributed - including me! They sent them out by the tens of thousands in response to requests from constituents. I wonder if the Feds will get all that "list" from Congress? You can also get it by simply Googling HOW TO STING THE POLYGRAPH. I am constantly updating it and I must charge a small amount to maintain my website and keep updating the manual, so I charge for the updated version.