Airport Security vs. Cyborg Steve Mann

CompaniaHill writes: "The New York Times (free reg, etc.) has a story on University of Toronto engineering-professor-turned-cyborg Steve Mann's recent run-in with humorless airport security. Apparently his preplanning and documents were sufficient to get him through the Toronto airport security on his way to St. John's in Newfoundland, but not sufficient to get him through the St. John's airport security on his way home. Two days later, after strip-searches, forced removal of implants and x-raying and other ill-handling of delicate hardware, he returned home in a wheelchair. Mann's lawyer is attempting to recover the cost of the $56,800 in damaged hardware, while his doctors are studying his body's response to the removal of the implants, some of which he has had for over twenty years."

Comments

Next time he should drive

[osgeek]

I'm sorry, but once you start concealing things that you can't have X-rayed, with hardware inside your body, all security bets are off -- and there's no reason why airport security should take your word for what you're concealing.

What's to stop someone from having a bomb implanted, then six months later blowing it up on a plane?

Oh, he had a note form his doctor... no terrorist could ever get one of those. I feel kinda bad for the guy, but he mostly brought the situation upon himself.

At very least, he needs to make special arrangements with airport security at every point along his trip to obtain some type of special pass.

Then, there's also the imposition upon other travelers like myself. How much does it cost to have people trying to make "special arrangements", wasting security personnel's time, etc. We all pay for nonsense like that with increased ticket prices. The more I think about it, the less I feel sorry for the guy.

I'd pay more for an unsecure flight.

[GlenRaphael]

But the guy had to be inspected.

Why, exactly?

Do you honestly believe the current over-the-top level of airport security is useful or necessary?

We had too much idiotic airport security before 9/11 and it didn't do a damn thing; what's going on now is a matter of closing the barn doors after the cows have gone. It doesn't make any of us safer against terrorists, it just makes a few people feel better to see that the authorities are "doing something". It's all for show.

I would pay at least $10 more per ticket to fly on an airline that didn't have any airport "security" at all. I would much prefer the security of knowing I could arrive fifteen minutes before the plane leaves and still make my flight to the security of knowing my fellow passengers have been harrassed and annoyed and degraded and forced to wait behind lines and answer useless questions.

Mann is the canary in this coal mine. His experiences should tell us we've gone too far and it's time to let the pendulum swing the other way for a bit. Let's start by getting rid of the "did you pack your bags/has anyone unknown to you" questions and the requirement to show a picture ID...