Word: detector
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...fountain may also include an automatic wind detector which, in high winds, will lower the height of the mist, Oommen said...
...detectors also came under heavy fire. John H. Gibbons, director of the Office of Technology Assessment, said of polygraphs, "The instrument cannot detect deception. It's more of a fear detector than a lie detector." Making a similar point with flair, Dr. John F. Beary, former high health official in the Defense Department, said he had a way to determine guilt that was cheaper than a lie detector and almost as reliable, since "it's right 50% of the time." He held up a coin...
Despite these disturbing problems, proponents of random lie-detector tests have likened the procedure to routine blood alcohol tests that spot drunk drivers. But several major differences illustrate the incongruence of the analogy. First, police officers administer the alcohol tests only after a reasonable suspicion of drunk driving (weaving, excessive speed, etc.); under the Reagan plan, employees undergo random tests regardless of criminal suspicion. And second, the precisions of alcohol tests--accurate to several decimal places--provides prima facie evidence of guilt; while results of polygraph tests are haphazard at best. The arbitrary application of lie-detector tests coupled with...
...clearances must submit to government censors any writing they mean to publish. The requirement also forced officials to consent to polygraph tests if suspected of unauthorized news releases. Failure to comply with the mandates can result in demotion or reassignment. The new orders proposed last week extend random lie-detector tests to all officials with access to classified information, even if no evidence of security breaches exists...
...might conceivably argue that the national security benefits of employing foolproof lie-detector devices outweigh such infringements on individual rights. But polygraph tests have failed to yield reliable data on dishonesty or criminal behavior, indeed, most U.S. courtrooms have refused to recognize the results of lie detector tests as evidence. Moreover, a recent Office of Technology Assessment study, based on an exhaustive review of available data, concluded that "no scientific evidence exists to establish the validity of polygraph testing" in discovering lies or national security leaks. Even in criminal investigations, the study found that the accuracy of polygraph tests fluctuated...