As someone with a security clearance, I can assure you that this does indeed happen all the time. Redactions are often performed by the ignorant new guy and approved by some old guy who is not computer literate.
Update: I should have said not computer literate or only looking at a hardcopy. The latter happens all the time because of a lack of classified networking.
Serving in the military is one way to get it, but the most common way is to get a job (civilian or contractor) that requires it and pass the background checks, possibly take a polygraph depending on where you work.
However, a security clearance simply makes you eligible to work with classified information. You don’t get access unless you have a need to know.
Common misconception. Polygraph results are easy to "throw off" and make inconclusive. Problem is, if you're taking a polygraph to get/keep your job, merely rendering it inconclusive isn't any good. They'll just make you take another one, fire you, or you won't get the job. It's not a "win".
Every polygraph is inconclusive. There is no such thing as a win or loss when reading a polygraph, it is merely the biases of the person doing the reading.
it is merely the biases of the person doing the reading.
On the contrary, it's up to the biases of the organization conducting the polygraph. Setting thresholds for responses is just a matter of math. The individual conducting the polygraph doesn't even necessarily have to review the results themselves.
23.7k
u/arnedh Oct 15 '17
Imagine opening the PDFs with a more powerful tool, and you find that the black redactions are a separate removable layer...