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+0.56 Personal Statement of a CIA Analyst (antipolygraph.org)
244 points by grubbs 3 days ago | 171 comments on HN | Moderate positive Editorial · vv3.4 · 2026-02-24
Article Heatmap
Preamble: +0.63 — Preamble P Article 1: +0.52 — Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood 1 Article 2: +0.49 — Non-Discrimination 2 Article 3: +0.68 — Life, Liberty, Security 3 Article 4: +0.60 — No Slavery 4 Article 5: +0.70 — No Torture 5 Article 6: +0.46 — Legal Personhood 6 Article 7: +0.58 — Equality Before Law 7 Article 8: +0.49 — Right to Remedy 8 Article 9: +0.69 — No Arbitrary Detention 9 Article 10: +0.54 — Fair Hearing 10 Article 11: +0.58 — Presumption of Innocence 11 Article 12: +0.58 — Privacy 12 Article 13: +0.43 — Freedom of Movement 13 Article 14: +0.33 — Asylum 14 Article 15: +0.33 — Nationality 15 Article 16: +0.46 — Marriage & Family 16 Article 17: +0.41 — Property 17 Article 18: +0.56 — Freedom of Thought 18 Article 19: +0.82 — Freedom of Expression 19 Article 20: +0.61 — Assembly & Association 20 Article 21: +0.57 — Political Participation 21 Article 22: +0.58 — Social Security 22 Article 23: +0.46 — Work & Equal Pay 23 Article 24: +0.40 — Rest & Leisure 24 Article 25: +0.46 — Standard of Living 25 Article 26: +0.40 — Education 26 Article 27: +0.57 — Cultural Participation 27 Article 28: +0.64 — Social & International Order 28 Article 29: +0.50 — Duties to Community 29 Article 30: +0.61 — No Destruction of Rights 30
Negative Neutral Positive No Data
Aggregates
Weighted Mean +0.56 Unweighted Mean +0.54
Max +0.82 Article 19 Min +0.33 Article 14
Signal 31 No Data 0
Confidence 72% Volatility 0.11 (Low)
Negative 0 Channels E: 0.6 S: 0.4
SETL +0.39 Editorial-dominant
Evidence: High: 15 Medium: 10 Low: 6 No Data: 0
Theme Radar
Foundation Security Legal Privacy & Movement Personal Expression Economic & Social Cultural Order & Duties Foundation: 0.55 (3 articles) Security: 0.66 (3 articles) Legal: 0.56 (6 articles) Privacy & Movement: 0.42 (4 articles) Personal: 0.48 (3 articles) Expression: 0.67 (3 articles) Economic & Social: 0.47 (4 articles) Cultural: 0.48 (2 articles) Order & Duties: 0.58 (3 articles)
Domain Context Profile
Element Modifier Affects Note
Privacy
No privacy policy observable on this statement page.
Terms of Service
No terms of service observable on this statement page.
Accessibility -0.05
Article 2 Article 19
Semantic HTML structure present but no ARIA labels or alt text observed; limits access for assistive technology users.
Mission +0.15
Article 3 Article 5 Article 9 Article 19
Domain mission opposes polygraph testing as human rights violation; explicit advocacy against coercive interrogation aligns with UDHR dignity and freedom from arbitrary detention.
Editorial Code
No editorial code or standards statement observed.
Ownership
Ownership not disclosed on this page; domain appears nonprofit advocacy.
Access Model +0.10
Article 19
Free, open access to content promotes freedom of expression and right to receive information.
Ad/Tracking
No advertising or tracking observable on this statement page.
HN Discussion 20 top-level comments
Paracompact 2026-02-21 19:54 UTC link
Am I a bad person if the picture of someone in the CIA crying is funny to me? Not out of malice or anything. It's just something I didn't know they did.

Do they also have little "Hang in there!" posters on the wall, too?

stego-tech 2026-02-21 20:06 UTC link
Adding my POV from a former National Security perspective:

Author is 100% on point. The point of a polygraph is three-fold: weeding out the dipshits; exerting power over the powerless; and identifying the valuable assets (typically sociopaths). It does not - cannot - identify liars, deceit, or bad actors on its face (that comes from the manual the author linked). It's not scientific assessment, it's psychological torture.

Would I take a polygraph to reactivate my clearance? Yeah, if I had to. Would I pass? That's up to the examiner, because much like the author I won't tolerate being called a liar, nor will I capitulate to power games. I'll be honest, forthcoming, and cooperative - and if that's not enough to pass, then I don't want to work for you.

ifh-hn 2026-02-21 20:10 UTC link
I've no idea why I read to the end of that, seems like a long ramble, I kept expecting something to happen and it never did.
FergusArgyll 2026-02-21 20:14 UTC link
I don't get it, I thought it's settled science that polygraphs don't work. Why are these agencies still using them?
shevy-java 2026-02-21 20:26 UTC link
> countermeasures such as butt-clenching

Ehm ...

I am actually not that convinced of that, largely because e. g. the KGB operated quite differently. And it seems very strange to me that the CIA would train an army of wanna-be's as ... butt-clenching recruits. The more sensible option is to have a poker face; and totally believe in any lie no matter how and what. That's kind of what Sergey Lavrov does. He babbles about how Ukraine invaded Russia. Kind of similar to a certain guy with a moustache claiming Poland invaded Germany (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleiwitz_incident).

Animats 2026-02-21 21:12 UTC link
I went through national-security polygraph exams twice, and they were no big deal. Filling out SF-86 (which used to start "List all residences from birth"), now that's a hassle.

In my aerospace company days, almost everything I did was unclassified, but I was put through the mill of getting higher level security clearances so I could be assigned to classified projects. Fortunately, I never was.

ddtaylor 2026-02-21 21:14 UTC link
I watched at Derbycon multiple times someone that could make a polygraph test do whatever he wanted, otherwise he was a murderer that murdered himself and it all happened before he was born. The test was being administered by a long time veteran polygraph operator who had recently retired.
singleshot_ 2026-02-21 21:40 UTC link
> but I wondered why a petty thief thought she could get into the Agency.

It’s reassuring to know no one at the CIA has ever done anything wrong, like stealing fifty dollars.

delichon 2026-02-21 21:59 UTC link
I was a security guard at a big ritzy condo with access to all of the keys when one of the apartments was burgled. Two local detectives showed up and questioned me with a polygraph. I failed to suspend my disbelief. It seemed like bullshit from the start. I lied about smoking weed.

Then they told me to wait. An hour later one of them came back and told me I had passed. I had the impression he was watching me very carefully for some kind of relief, and that moment was the actual test. I laughed at him, which seems to have been the right answer.

I still think it's an interrogation manipulation prop, and the courts that don't admit polygraph results have it right.

b00ty4breakfast 2026-02-21 21:59 UTC link
I'm always surprised to hear that a government agency administers polygraph tests in something as serious as hiring but then I remember the CIA also spent millions of dollars trying to develop telekinetic assassins and train clairvoyants to spy on the Kremlin.
13415 2026-02-21 22:09 UTC link
That's an old classic, should have 2018 in the headline but the site is much older. Some people hate it because they're afraid that knowing the site might count as preparation and might make them fail their polygraph exam.
Arainach 2026-02-21 22:27 UTC link
I applied for an internship with the NSA. My understanding of the process (years ago, pre-Snowden) was that they did a pass on your resume (I can't recall if there was even a phone screen), then they started background checks and if there were N internships the first N people to pass the security clearance were selected.

They went through the standard stuff, interviewing my neighbors, etc. Then they flew me to Fort Meade for a polygraph. This article matches my experiences well - the interviewers latched on to arbitrary accusations and threw them at you over and over. I walked out feeling absolutely miserable and the examiner still claiming I was hiding past crimes and drug use (nope, I confessed to everything all the way down to grabbing coins out of the fountain at the mall when I was quite young). My interviewer said some large percentage of people fail their first and most pass the second.

...except there was no second, because shortly after I passed an interview and got an internship at a large tech company that paid significantly more and didn't require me to take a polygraph. No regrets on that decision.

fmajid 2026-02-21 22:54 UTC link
Polygraphs are junk science. I wonder why they haven’t graduated to fMRI. Can’t be for lack of funds. My guess is the polygraph bureaucracy is what’s known in Washington as a self-licking ice cream cone.
mrb 2026-02-21 23:03 UTC link
"Someone who hated computers so much that she had the secretary print out her emails so she could read them was interrogated for hours about hacking into Agency networks [...] there was often a gross mismatch between a person and the accusations made against them."

Well, isn't it expected? If I were a double agent, faking that I was so computer illiterate that I ask my emails to be printed out would be the perfect cover for my hacking =:-)

anonymousiam 2026-02-21 23:43 UTC link
Been there, done that. It's a good account, but I'm pretty surprised that the author felt that he could get away with "butt clinching", which is a form of deception, even when you're using it because you know the polygraph process is flawed. So he had to have lied to the investigator about whether or not he was being deceptive, and he never should have been cleared in the first place.

My last few polygraphs (I've had well over a dozen of them) were abusive. Before one of the later tests, the investigator tried to establish rapport, and told me that he had interrogated terrorists in the middle east, who had threatened to kill him. Before the test, I sympathized with him on this and thought that those terrorists must have been really bad people. After the test, I completely understood why those subjects had threatened to kill him.

The polygraph is basically a mind fuck. They try to guilt you into admitting some wrong that you've done by pretending that they already know about it. People with a conscience will break down and admit something, but different personality types react differently.

A senior security officer that I knew always passed his polygraphs on the first sitting, and never had any trouble. The reason was because he was a pathological liar. One of the requirements for his job was to come up with "cover stories", which are lies that you must convincingly tell others, to protect the security of a program.

Two co-worker engineers I know failed, because they refused to go back for more abuse. They were not bad or deceptive people -- They were "Type A" personalities, and it was just too stressful for them.

Refusing to take (or re-take) a polygraph is a red flag, and gets a lot of high level attention. The government will assume that you are refusing because you've done something wrong, and may go after you, and could ruin you life, even if you are innocent.

ineedasername 2026-02-22 02:30 UTC link
What’s the organizational rationale behind using the polygraph? Its reliability at detecting deception doesn’t on the face of things seem correct, with “bureaucratic inertia” not really enough to explain its persistence either. Is it something different then? Perhaps when someone’s response patterns simply don’t match known types or some other reason?
jazzpush2 2026-02-22 07:10 UTC link
I don't get it. The author is 'honest to a fault,' but then lies about discussing the polygraph with others and posts an anonymous op-ed.
knallfrosch 2026-02-22 07:25 UTC link
I always thought the workings of polygraphs were common knowledge.

It's fiction. Analysts get scared and don't do anything wrong preemptively. Analysts admit stuff they'd never do otherwise. The agency gets to show who's in charge. It creates a legal fiction that allows you to abuse your employees. It creates a fiction that the abusers themselves can believe in.

Why should the believe in the non-working polygraph be any weaker than in a nonexistent god?

kj4211cash 2026-02-22 13:48 UTC link
This rings so true and I only ever took one polygraph test. I was a nerdy 21 year old and they told me I had failed on the marijuana use question and encouraged me to think about it and come back and retry. I remember being very confused. I withdrew my application and never went back. I wonder how many others gave up on a job opportunity because it was drug abuse Wednesday or whatever.
arwhatever 2026-02-22 20:59 UTC link
For fun, ask your preferred LLM (or perhaps a google search would also work?) for specific questions that lifestyle polygraph interviewers typically ask to throw you off your rhythm or to establish a baseline for later questions. No joke, it's an absolute riot.

More seriously, I'd be reluctant to take a polygraph-based job. If the very concept is flaky and you fail out at the beginning, no big deal. But I'm not sure I'd want to invest in a career in which something that flaky could on its own start creating career problems for you years or decades in.

Score Breakdown
+0.63
Preamble Preamble
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.65
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.51
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Editorial content advocates against polygraph as violation of human dignity and liberty; frames polygraph interrogation as coercive, psychologically harmful, and applied without probable cause. Structural access supports information freedom. Domain mission reinforces narrative.

+0.52
Article 1 Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.55
Structural
+0.20
SETL
+0.44
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Text emphasizes equal human dignity of all subjects; critiques how polygraph interrogation violates this by treating normal people as suspects. Framing supports universal dignity principle.

+0.49
Article 2 Non-Discrimination
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.60
Structural
+0.15
SETL
+0.52
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Narrator experiences discrimination and stigma based on polygraph results; text advocates against application of arbitrary standards. Accessibility modifier slightly negative.

+0.68
Article 3 Life, Liberty, Security
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.70
Structural
+0.20
SETL
+0.59
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Strong critique of how polygraph interrogation denies right to life and security of person; describes psychological harm, shame, distress, reckless driving aftermath. Text explicitly frames polygraph as threat to security and wellbeing.

+0.60
Article 4 No Slavery
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.65
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.51
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Narrator describes polygraph as modern form of arbitrary detention/coercion; text advocates against slavery-like subjugation to interrogation apparatus. Framing emphasizes loss of autonomy.

+0.70
Article 5 No Torture
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.75
Structural
+0.20
SETL
+0.64
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Explicit condemnation of polygraph interrogation as cruel, degrading treatment; describes shame, humiliation, psychological harm. Text frames polygraph as torture-adjacent coercion. Domain mission reinforces.

+0.46
Article 6 Legal Personhood
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.50
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.35
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Implicit recognition of personhood in narrator's journey; critique of interrogation implies assertion of inherent human dignity. Evidence less explicit.

+0.58
Article 7 Equality Before Law
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.65
Structural
+0.20
SETL
+0.54
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Text criticizes discriminatory application of polygraph testing; narrator repeatedly targeted with baseless accusations (drug dealing, espionage) while others treated more fairly. Frames as unequal treatment.

+0.49
Article 8 Right to Remedy
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.50
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.32
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Implicit reference to right to effective remedy; narrator's complaint to Chief of Polygraph resulted in apology, suggesting some recourse mechanism. Limited evidence of advocacy for strengthening this right.

+0.69
Article 9 No Arbitrary Detention
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.70
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.56
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Core narrative: polygraph as arbitrary detention without cause; text describes mandatory polygraphs applied without probable cause as violation of freedom from arbitrary state action. Domain mission explicit on this point.

+0.54
Article 10 Fair Hearing
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.55
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.41
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Implicit fair hearing critique; narrator describes one examiner's questions as seeking 'a better answer' rather than truth, suggesting unfair procedure. Evidence limited to single anecdote.

+0.58
Article 11 Presumption of Innocence
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.60
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.46
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Narrator's experience frames polygraph as presumption of guilt without due process; failed tests despite truthfulness suggest system presumes culpability. Advocacy against this reversal of burden.

+0.58
Article 12 Privacy
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.65
Structural
+0.20
SETL
+0.54
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Text describes polygraph process as violation of privacy; intimate questions about skin conditions, personal details, medical history. Interrogation violates right to privacy in thought and personal affairs.

+0.43
Article 13 Freedom of Movement
Low
Editorial
+0.40
Structural
+0.35
SETL
+0.14
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Limited evidence. Narrator mentions leaving CIA for family reasons but does not address freedom of movement or residence within polygraph context.

+0.33
Article 14 Asylum
Low
Editorial
+0.35
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.13
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No asylum or refuge context present. Not applicable to this statement.

+0.33
Article 15 Nationality
Low
Editorial
+0.35
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.13
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No nationality issues directly addressed. Not primary concern of this statement.

+0.46
Article 16 Marriage & Family
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.50
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.35
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Narrator describes family stress related to polygraph burden and eventual departure from CIA to prioritize family. Limited explicit advocacy on right to marriage/family.

+0.41
Article 17 Property
Low
Editorial
+0.45
Structural
+0.35
SETL
+0.21
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Property rights not primary subject. Narrator mentions clearance loss risk but does not advocate on property rights specifically.

+0.56
Article 18 Freedom of Thought
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.55
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.37
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Implicit critique: narrator's right to hold beliefs (skepticism of polygraph validity) is used against her in interrogation. Text suggests suppression of thought through intimidation.

+0.82
Article 19 Freedom of Expression
High Advocacy Framing Coverage
Editorial
+0.75
Structural
+0.50
SETL
+0.43
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Strong positive: entire site dedicated to freedom of expression and information about polygraph. This statement advocates for legislative action banning polygraph; narrator researched anti-polygraph sites; text reports findings of NAS study. Domain explicitly supports information freedom.

+0.61
Article 20 Assembly & Association
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.60
Structural
+0.35
SETL
+0.39
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Narrator's right to peaceful association is threatened; polygraph interrogation prevents open discussion ('not supposed to discuss'); complaining to Chief of Polygraph shows attempt to exercise assembly/petition rights.

+0.57
Article 21 Political Participation
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.55
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.37
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Narrator explicitly writes to congressman requesting legislation banning polygraph; exercises right to participate in governance. Text advocates for policy change through democratic participation.

+0.58
Article 22 Social Security
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.60
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.46
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Polygraph system denies social/economic rights; narrator risks clearance loss, employment, security clearance status. Text frames mandatory polygraph as barrier to full participation in economic/social life.

+0.46
Article 23 Work & Equal Pay
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.50
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.35
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Narrator's work choices constrained by polygraph requirements; family time sacrificed; limited implicit advocacy for right to work under acceptable conditions without coercive testing.

+0.40
Article 24 Rest & Leisure
Low
Editorial
+0.45
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.26
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Rest and leisure not primary focus. Narrator describes stress and inability to relax during polygraph experience but does not advocate on broader right to rest.

+0.46
Article 25 Standard of Living
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.50
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.35
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Polygraph stress affects narrator's mental health (psychological harm, reckless driving). Text implies mandatory interrogation threatens right to adequate standard of living/health, though not explicit advocacy.

+0.40
Article 26 Education
Low
Editorial
+0.45
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.26
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Education rights not addressed. Not primary subject of statement.

+0.57
Article 27 Cultural Participation
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.55
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.37
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Narrator describes polygraph interrogation as interference with sharing in cultural benefits of society; inability to discuss findings openly (NAS report); suppression of knowledge about science/validity of testing.

+0.64
Article 28 Social & International Order
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.65
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.48
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Text argues for right to social/international order in which UDHR rights can be realized; explicitly frames polygraph as violation of civil rights; advocates for legislative ban to establish just social order.

+0.50
Article 29 Duties to Community
Medium Advocacy
Editorial
+0.50
Structural
+0.35
SETL
+0.27
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Implied: narrator's freedom of expression limited by polygraph; state uses coercion to suppress information. Text advocates for limiting state power through banning polygraph.

+0.61
Article 30 No Destruction of Rights
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.60
Structural
+0.30
SETL
+0.42
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Text explicitly opposes interpretation of polygraph testing as authorized by UDHR; narrator advocates that right to freedom from arbitrary interrogation cannot be negated by government claim of security necessity.

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build fc56cf0+0q5s · 2026-02-25 01:32 UTC