Data privacy remains a topical concern in the administration of lie detector tests. According to the Office of the Justice Program (OJP) website, many US courts have ruled that polygraph exams constitute unconstitutional privacy violations.
The potential for data breach in polygraph evaluations received greater limelight following the emergence of personal-use lie detector test (LDT) applications.
In this post, we delve into the ethical dilemma surrounding the use of LDT smartphone apps.
Why Personal-Use Lie Detector Apps Don’t Guarantee Data Privacy
1. Intrusive Data Access
Personal-use lie detector test applications are notoriously intrusive, often requiring dangerous data access permissions.
Most LDT apps will request access to your smartphone’s camera and microphone during routine usage. Others go a notch higher, seeking permissions to interact with your contact information and phone gallery, as well as pinpoint your precise location.
A single click may be all it takes to disclose your sensitive information (such as photos and personal documents) to malicious actors. Besides, granting access to your location enables unauthorized entities to track your movements and daily routines.
We should point out that the traditional lie detector test also involves data collection. But unlike LDT apps, professionally conducted polygraph exams adhere to industry-mandated guidelines on proper data handling.
2. Unauthorized Data Sharing
The American Polygraph Association (APA) spells out clear guidelines for the collection, storage, and retrieval of polygraph data.
For instance, clients must store physical records in access-controlled cabinets. Digital polygraph data should preferably be secured in cloud storage platforms with robust access control protocols, including multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Further, the APA mandates examiners to store polygraph data for at least three years. Examiners must also consult their clients before sharing the findings with parties not previously authorized in the consent forms.
In contrast, LDT applications glaringly lack these safety checks. The apps maintain vague policies that often leave user data exposed to potentially malicious actors.
Some LDT applications will readily share your data with third-party entities for analytics or marketing purposes, further compromising your online safety.
3. Vulnerability to Breaches
Many LDT apps implement weak security measures, making them a soft target for hackers. Successful breaches can cause a massive exfiltration of your sensitive personal information.
Fortunately, professional lie detector tests follow strict guidelines to avert hacking attempts. Examiners store the collected information in tamper-proof physical and digital repositories, minimizing breachs.
The APA also recommends undertaking routine back-ups to safeguard the integrity of filed polygraph reports. And to streamline data access during system failures, clients should have duplicate copies stored in separate platforms.
If you must use LDT applications, insist on those designed with strong encryption technologies like AES-256 and TLS 1.3. The app should also implement secure network protocols like HTTPS, hacker-proof key storage like Android Keystore, and robust antivirus software.
Other Ethical Concerns with LDT Apps
1. Not Science-backed
Polygraph exams measure physiological changes associated with deception, including alterations in heart rate, pulse rate, respiratory activity, and skin conductivity.
Admittedly, no lie detector test can be 100% accurate. Varied dynamics will always cause a reasonable error margin.
However, the APA states that professionally administered lie detector tests can hit incredible accuracy scores of up to 95%. That’s way more credible than LDT smartphone applications.
LDT apps don’t typically measure physiological functions. Instead, they use integrated sensors and cameras to collect behavioral data, including body movements, facial expressions, tonal variations, and eye movements.
While this information may often indicate deception, it’s far less reliable than physiological data.
Moreover, most LDT app users don’t deploy these tools in controlled environments. A supposed lie detector test may be undertaken while walking, playing, or partying, yielding highly unreliable data.
2. Absence of Professional Analysis
It’s not enough that LDT apps rely on non-validated techniques. These tools also utilize automated scoring methods, eliminating professional analysis.
LDT apps automatically infer deception based on superficially collected behavioral data, making the findings completely unreliable.
Note that polygraph tests are generally inadmissible in criminal proceedings. However, the incorporation of certified examiners makes the findings more legally defensible.
Polygraphers play a critical role in ensuring the efficiency of the entire lie detector test. Besides asking the in-test questions, these professionals also prepare examinees for each polygraph evaluation and interpret the findings in compliance with the industry standards.
3. Findings May Be Exploited
Many LDT smartphone apps allow users to manipulate the test’s outcome. That’s a principal distinction from polygraph exams, where an examiner cannot pre-determine the process’s outcome.
Since LDT apps are easy to doctor, the findings are often vulnerable to exploitation. The absence of a qualified analyst only complicates the scenario.
Partners may misuse the unreliable LDT app findings to level false cheating allegations, ruining otherwise healthy relationships. Some people may also leverage the findings to control or intimidate others and gain undue advantage over a situation.
In contrast, professionally administered polygraph exams follow strict guidelines that make them almost impossible to exploit.
The Bottom Line
Like on-screen lie detector tests, polygraph exams performed using LDT apps can only be used for entertainment purposes rather than as a genuine truth-seeking tool.
In fact, most of these applications are explicitly labeled “for entertainment purposes only” or “for pranks.” The programs feature hidden controls that enable users to manipulate the process.
Besides, most LDT applications are notoriously intrusive. The apps may share your sensitive information with unauthorized third parties, compromising your online safety further.
To conduct a legally admissible lie detector test, examiners must uphold industry standards for data collection, storage, and sharing.
