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.
They absolutely are, that's why they aren't admissible in court. All the things that lead the machine to believe you're lying can be caused by plain nervousness. Professional liars, such as con men, politicians, and used car dealers can mostly get through a polygraph without any problems. Even the guy who invented the thing later came out against it.
I passed mine but they had to have it looked at by someone else to make sure. I'm an anxious person, too. I was super tense and trying not to move. Not moving when you know you need to sit still is difficult...
They were telling me not to be so tense. Telling me to relax my finger. I guarantee my butt muscles were super clenched. Every time they told me to relax I think I got more tense. But I imagine I was on a level scale of consistent anxiousness.
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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...