New TSA Security Features

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I've been paying attention to this topic for a while now, but waited to see how things went before posting anything. For those of you unaware, the Transportation Security Administration has instituted a new method of screening for weapons, bombs, and the like. In addition to the standard metal detectors, people are now randomly selected for passage through one of two types of radiation based full-body imaging. These scanners produce a 3D colorless scan of your body, through clothing. They've come to be called 'naked body scanners' in some circles. Officially, no one but one person of the same gender as the scanned sees the images, and they're immediately deleted without the capacity to store, save, transmit, or transport the images. Unfortunately, information has come out that the TSA contract for the machines required that they be able to do all those things. We're just promised that those features won't be used. Except that now some images from an early public demo have come out on the internet. The newer models have much more high-fidelity images.

Anyway, between the radiation concerns and the privacy concerns, many people don't like them and don't want to use them. Well, they're in luck. You can opt out and simply get a pat-down instead. Except that that pat-down has been upgraded as well, to the point that many people consider it fondling and a sexual assault. The official procedures require a palms-forward rub under and around the breasts, up the thighs, between the buttocks, and over the crotch. Some reports coming out have detailed much more 'vigorous' searches, including enough genetal prodding to produce sharp pains. Oh, and even if you go through the scanners, you can still be pulled aside for an 'aggresive' pat-down, based solely on the TSO's discression.

And, lastly, if you feel all this is too much and chicken out, you can be sued for $11,000 for leaving the screening area without permission. Even if you are escourted out by police and the TSA.

As if periodicly violating the public in one of the above ways wasn't enough, airline personell, such as pilots and flight attendants, are also being put though these procedures. This is raising particular alarm because it means regular exposure to radiation.

As for the radiation, one of the methods is called an x-ray backscatter, which isn't much more radiation than you usually receive from background sources. The other method employs something called a milimeter wave, or T-wave, in the terahertz range. I've only heard of one study on their safety. It found the danger was insignificant, but the researchers cautioned that the range they studied is far enough from the range in question that this study can't predict safety in the range being used.

This has raised a lot of uproar recently, including a facebook page dedicated to 'Opt-Out Day, November 24th'. The day before Thanksgiving. One of the busiest days of the year for American airports.

 

I stand with my hands on my hips and smile as they gawk through their scanner.

 

It's a ridiculous policy. It won't stop terrorists as long as they are not willing to use some common sense in these matters. I'm all for public security but this is ridiculous.

 

I have heard several talk show host report on this. There is controversy over the actual amout of radiation. One talk show host claimed it was equivalent to 17 x rays. Another said he checked with the association of radialogists and they said it would take 100 trips through the scanner to reach the equivalnet of 1 normal x-ray.

As for the "pat downs" or manual searches there does seem to be a consus of opinion that they can be overly intrusive. At least that is what the talk show hosts I heard said. One claimed that buxom Swedish flight attendents where being picked. Have no idea if it is true. The claim is that "perverts" are applying for the TSA jobs and getting them. True or not I do not know.

I didn't mind the old pat-downs but someone fooling around my privates parts is apt to be hit by my cane. Yes, the claim is that grannys are getting this treatment, babies and small children.

Political correctness demands that we do no profiling. Hmm wonder how they choose their potential victims. One women claimed she complained about the intrusive fondling from a female agent and the Supervisor had her taken to a pri8vate room alone with the agent where she got a very thorough go over.

How bad this is is very hard to tell. Yee Gads anyone wishing to fondle my aging breast has to be crazy. They can't be that hard up.

 

A friend told me that ever since communist East Germany he didn't have as much fun entering a country. But alas, on the plus side he at least, unlike in East Germany, didn't have to register with the local police department in the place he travelled to.

There are a lot of bits in that procedure he characterised as ludicrous, in particular those fun questionnaires for foreigners, asking sensible questions like:

You ought to feel safer already.

As for the scanners and the pat downs, I don't think they do more than to assure everybody that there is a stern eye on them. I doubt that the procedure does more than to deter the real goof balls among the terrorists.

He characterised TSA staff as unfriendly to hostile. My friend has been actively involved with Amnesty International, he always gets questioned and his luggage gets always searched. Always. Seems his activism for human rights got him on a watch list. What could be more suspicious than to oppose torture, the death penalty and to be for human rights?

 

Well I think it's a great idea. I've worked in an airport and my mum and sister still do.
The passengers see it as the end of the world and means that the security guards get some sort of perverted kick out of it: WRONG! Security guards don't get to pick the passengers they search, it goes on numbers. It means that you can get a hottie or some stinking loser who's sweaty, cheesy and disgusting. Plus, passengers only ever think of themselves and the people who are on their flight. Working in the environment means you see the hundereds of people every day who go through an airport. If these searches mean that a few people are going to be inconvinienced to stop a couple hundered being blown up then fine.

As for the radiation...that's a load of crap as well. It's scare-mongering by the hemp skirt brigade. If it was that bad then the security personnel who are around the area for their full shift would already be glowing.

These types of things boil my piss. "The security staff are perverts who want to ruin our day" fast becomes "Why didn't security search that person thouraghly so they couldn't sneak a bomb onto the plane" when someone gets blown up.

Basically, the general public are going to whine whatever happens. These people have a tough enough job without a load of self-centered, whinging idiots making things difficult. It's bad enough that stupid people have a go at them because their plane is delayed ("Oh, I'm sorry sir, there's just been a major terrorist attack and 97 people are dead. Such a shame that it's put a crimp in your plans") without a load of half-witted morons going mental because the security staff don't want them getting blown up!
Maybe security pproceedures should be relaxed for the people who complain. That way we can reduce their numbers a bit

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Of course! That MUST be why. It has nothing to do with him going into dangerous areas where there is a risk of blackmail/kidnapping/murder in order to get him to cooperate in illegal smuggling. The security staff just don't like people who work for charity! Why did nobody realise this before?


(I'm almost over my rant at the idiocies of the human race....almost )

 

I just got back from a conference in Las Vegas. The Boston airport had the new scanners and Las Vegas did not. You have to stand in a very specific pose and you can tell that the TSA employees are already frustrated by having to explain the pose to everyone over and over again.

 

Aww, they didn't think it was fun? What a shock!

RAAAAAAAR!!! Silvery is maaaaad with this topic!

 

Well, knowing him fairly well, beyond Amnesty International, the worst he engages in is his job, which is being an IT business consultant currently working for a major German car manufacturer.

It is known that during the Bush years peace or rights activist groups and the like were considered worthy of observation, including the ACLU, the American Friends Service Committee, Amnesty International, the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, the NAACP or for instance United Catholic Charities. He travelled in that time.

Get that chip off your shoulder.

 

I agree that the radiation concerns are probably unwarranted, and for the 'perverts' claim, not only do the TSOs not pick who they search, you also have the right to be searched by someone of the same gender in a private screening area. Now, I don't see that that really improves the violation of privacy, but it is something.

Of course, that's countered by the case a little while ago of a TSO punching out his supervisor because of taunts (apparently continued) about the size of his 'package' after he went through one of the machines ina demo. So, apparently TSOs aren't necessarily the most mature individuals. In fact, another controversy that's come out is that there's little screening of the officers, poor supervision, poor training, and they basically have all the power. That's a proven recipe for abuse, even if your people in power don't have criminal records and aren't being payed minimum wage.

 

A chip on my shoulder? Hardly, I'm just sick of the crap lack of thought that goes into some of these posts. The point I was making (if you actually paid attention) was that of course your friend was going to monitored! You might know that he's an OK guy but the security agents don't. He goes into areas to do good work but it's just as easy for someone to go into these areas with an agenda, or be coerced into doing something they wouldn't normally.
It's NOT a conspiracy. The government aren't after aid workers, they're after the people all over the world that think it's acceptable to hurt, kill and rob people of their freedom

 

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Can you request a private intrusive search by someone of the opposite gender?

Seriously though - I don't have any problem with that. I'm well endowed enough that I don't care if someone sees the sillouete of my junk.

 

Actually, considering how implausible that possible 'agenda' thing is, I hoped you were joking. Alas ... it can't be helped then

AI are devoted to the protection of human rights - which as far as the US is concerned pretty much equals constitutional rights. What nefarious 'possible agenda' may AI supposedly have vis a vis the US? Exposing US human rights abuses, as in torture or detention policies? Not to mention that AI has a point - when they do this that is legitimate criticism, protected free speech. There is nothing to monitor. The same probably applies to the ACLU and any other of the groups that I mentioned.

The paranoid assumption of 'possible agendas' we don't yet know about but preventatively have to scan for is what characterizes a police state (and hilariously, is just the attitude the US and the West in general likes to criticise about regimes like China, Burma or Iran).

It is an idiocy in its own right to put someone on a watch list because he works for AI, not to mention the waste of resources devoted to check on such a 'threat'. I mean he was told that he is listed and they asked him about AI. How much clearer can it be?

 

Sorry hun. I was in a foul mood. Tired, headache and trying to explain to my mother why I couldn't see a file that no longer exists on a computer that no longer works! I shouldn't have taken it out on you x

 

I always go through airport security with an agenda -- get through quickly without a cavity check.

 

In Vegas that normally costs $200 on the strip, if you could get it for free at the airport that would be fantastic.

Edit:

I wonder if anyone has ever done an analysis to see if all of this security actually accomplishes anything. I can't help but think that it is trillions of dollars being spent annually worldwide and it is all a farce.

 

TGS -- I believe Isreal has shown it to work.

 

Ragusa, I understand that you know your friend very well, but the fact is that airport security personnel don't. Working as a volunteer for a humanitarian group would be perfect cover for someone up to no good, especially one who travels a lot to dangerous territories. I have no problem with them giving someone like that some extra scrutiny.

I draw the line at groping his junk, though, or rectal exams, or other such overly intrusive physical searches. The metal detector and other scanners are sufficient, and I have no problem with those. No matter how good the images may be, the operators don't have time to really be titillated by them. The only thing that I think should be ensured is that images aren't kept for later viewing by those of a perverted mind. There are some of those types in every crowd.

 

Hilariously, speaking of perverted minds, Americans For Truth About Homosexuality are concerned that ‘Homosexual’ TSA staff may be ‘secretly turned on’ by patdowns.

Riiight. Catching teh gay is certainly not foremost on my mind during airport screening. As far as I am concerned, I'd be more worried that I piss off some TSA goon and that he in turn ruins my day by ordering an extra intensive search or making me wait and miss my plane.

Another, more serious bit from that article:

Not without reason: There certainly is a hoarding mentality about the data abound: Feds saved over 35,000 nude scans from just one Florida courthouse

Spoiler

Beware, perhaps nsfw:

Spoiler

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These scan photos were taken using a less advanced scanning method than what's generally employed in airports.

And then, there is the rapidly revolving door: