The United States defense department will be issuing hand held lie detectors to troops in Afghanistan. The PCASS, or Preliminary Credibility Assessment Screen System, is a portable device that straps to a person's wrist and measures a subject's anxiety level when asked a series of 20 or so questions. The company that produces the device does not promise perfection and is surprised that the defense department is putting the device into action so soon. Experts say that the device will be significantly less accurate than a standard polygraph.
The National Academy of Sciences has issued many studies demonstrating the inaccuracy of regular polygraphs tests when administered by trained professionals. The PCASS will be used in hostile areas by regular military personal. Skeptics argue that the possibility of incorrect results puts troops in further harm.
The defense department has ordered 94 of these devices, each costing $7,500. The total cost of the project at this moment is $2.5 million.
I certainly understand the need for such a device in theory, but in my opinion, this device is not yet ready for deployment. What happens when a insurgent's rights are violated because the device says he is lying. Or worse, what happen when the device clears an enemy soldier and US troops are killed. $2.5 million is a just a speck in the overall defense budget, but even so, this project seems like a giant waste of money. If I had to guess, some politicians buddy is probably the CEO of the company producing these things and pressured the defense department into a contract in the interest of "saving American lives". I think the military needs to take this gadget back to the lab before they toss it to some GI in the desert.
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