Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

TSA's "Behavior Detection Officers"

Posted by kdawson on from the picking-on-an-easy-target dept.

Stanistani sends us to MSNBC for a dyspeptic Newsweek commentary on the TSA's latest attempt to make air travel safer: the rather ominously named "Behavior Detection Officers" now working in a dozen US airports, and slated to go nationwide in 2008. They are trained in the discipline of reading "micro-expressions." The editorialist calls that a pseudo-science, but in fact it's a well-understood skill that can be taught and learned. A cursory look at this TSA program might put one in mind of Orwell's "facecrime," and that's the road the Newsweek writer goes down. Yet some who bemoan the security theater historically run by the TSA point to the gold standard of airport security, Tel Aviv airport, and wonder why TSA officers can't act more like the Israelis. Bruce Schneier wrote recently about one reason why the Israeli security model isn't completely transplantable to these shores: scale. And here's Schneier's take on behavioral profiling from a year ago. That's what the BDOs will be trying for: scrutinizing intent instead of pocket knives. Let's just hope they don't get swamped with false positives.

1 of 281 comments (clear)

  1. Sure, and thanks for asking. by ahfoo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here's the information you're interested in. I'm sure you're genuinely interested rather than merely being one of these typical right wing assholes hoping to discredit any opinion you don't like by asking for documentation in the rhetorical manner of Rush Limbaugh or one of the many idiots at Fox News.
              I'm willing to assume you're not one of those fascist cunts and that you really are interested in the facts. In that case, this is the video I refer to:

    Easiest Targets: The Israeli Policy of Strip Searching Women and Children

    description:13-minute video: Five women - Palestinian, American, Muslim, Christian, and Jewish - tell stories of humiliation and harassment by Israeli border guards and airport security officials.

              In fact, you will find testimoney by American Christians and Jews as well as Palestinians if you take the time to watch the video.

    You can watch it at Google Video with the following link:
    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-691161000 548687549

    In addition, you can download the torrent from www.onebigtorrent.org which was formerly known as chomskytorrents.org.

    I would say enjoy the film, but it's not meant to be an enjoyable film.