Labs
to Keep Giving Polygraph Tests
By Andrea Widener
Last fall, a panel of the prestigious National Academy
of Sciences found that polygraph tests are unproven,
and perhaps even dangerous, as a tool to search for
potential spies at the nation's nuclear weapons labs.
Its measures of heart rate, breathing and sweaty palms
are easily tripped by the nervous but innocent, and
easily fooled by experts. What's more, the panel said,
the polygraph gives security experts a misleading sense
of security because spies can pass the screening test.
Despite this overwhelming finding, and a congressional
mandate to reevaluate use of the test, the Department
of Energy has stuck by the polygraph. Full
story.
