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Live Q&A With Ex-TSA Agent Jason Harrington
Jason Harrington (@Jas0nHarringt0n) is a controversial blogger, frequent contributor to McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and one of the TSA's least favorite ex-employees. His descriptions of life on the job as a TSA agent caused some big waves and restarted a national discussion on security theater. Jason will be answering your questions below for the next couple of hours, or until the security line starts moving again. Please keep it to one question per post so everyone gets a chance.
Update: 03/01 02:11 GMT by S : Jason has finished up for now — you can skip to his answers at his user page, or simply browse the comments to read everything. Thanks Jason for answering our questions!
We've all heard news stories about 'incidents' at the TSA. We know the reactions of the travelers involved, and occasionally some high-muckity-muck at the TSA will make a vague policy statement. I'm curious about the internal communications after these incidents -- were you told to behave in a different way, to ease up or crack down?
...the WEIRDEST thing you ever saw someone try to get through security?
As a previous chain smoker, this has been bugging me for a while. Every flight I made would require me to dispose of my throw-away lighter into the bucket prior to going through security. Does TSA just throw them all away? Recylce them?
Can you explain why I have seen TSA officers waiting at the gate and taking samples of peoples drinks as they board the plane and seemingly testing them on the spot?
What does this prove? That the security lines have allowed illegal stuff through, or that shops on the inside are selling tasty explosives in liquid form?
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
How much influence does a random TSA agent have over your ability to fly or move about the airport? In other words, if somebody takes a dislike to you, can they arbitrarily make your life difficult, or are their checks to prevent this.
Hi Mr Harrington.
Thank you for your blog. Everything we've long suspect about the TSA's attitude and purpose was validated by your posts. It was brave of you to be the whistleblower, and I think all of us owe you a debt of thanks.
Are you afraid of retribution? I realize that you probably did this without much to lose in your career, but you have to wonder if you'll be considered some kind of "spy" like Snowden for revealing things like this to your fellow countrymen.
Have you had to inspect any computer equipment or pass along to feds for them to inspect?
Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
Jason,
Thanks for being here and answering our questions. Given your experience working as a "line" TSA screener, how would you propose that we fix airport security, making it more effective, yet less intrusive for travelers? Clearly, the TSA isn't going away, and they will be the agency that regulates airport security for the foreseeable future. However, would you (for example) suggest empowering agents with additional flexibility? Perhaps implement policies more in-line with real security and risk management strategies, eschewing the current models of "security theater" and reactions to past threats? Maybe eschewing use of TSA's screeners, and having private firms provide security (again, under TSA regulations)? Something else altogether?
-Turkey
If I came to the airport and had a bottle that was over the 3.4 oz or had a disposable lighter or some other item, where/how does that stuff get discarded? Would seem to me if these materials were "dangerous" they are just sitting in an airport bin and that's slightly better than the airport but not by much
Hi Mr. Harrington, Do you have any idea where the "No-Fly List" comes from?
Hi. Thanks for all you've done.
I travel with a camera bag with an SLR body or two, several lenses and a few accessories.
90% of the time, this bag is swabbed by staff and the swab tested. I have never been told of results, positive/neutral/negative/other.
1. Why do they always swab my camera gear?
2. Hand hygiene in those places is TERRIBLE - I'm glad you're out and I hope you're healthy. (not a question)
Good day.
Every so often an event makes the news that somebody in the TSA has been busted for stealing out of luggage. Did you observe or suspect these sorts of shenanigans were happening while you worked for them? Are these one-off bad apples, or is it the TSA's informal wage-boost bonus system?
What do the agents think of opt-outs? I'm in the shrinking minority that opt out every time I fly, and I'm treated mostly with professionalism (with a hint of annoyance by some).
What happens to all confiscated electronics and do you have any suggestions on how to lower your chances of getting your devices targeted by TSA?
Do the X-ray machine operators actually care about what they see on the screen? I've been able to get a few items that are on the TSA banlist (Swiss Army Knife, Zippos with lighter fluid in them, corkscrews, etc.) and the only thing that has ever called for a bag check was a tablet computer that I didn't place in the bin (there was a sign that stated tablets didn't have to be removed from bags, just regular notebook computers).
What really triggers an operator to call for a bag search? Would a small box of toothpicks or screws set off an alarm?
Hi Jason, and thanks in advance for answering these questions.
I am physically unable to use the scanners, both the X-ray and the millimeter-wave radar. I have been advised that I am therefore medically exempt, and am entitled to be screened by only the metal detector without any direct-contact search. I have TSA's standard notification card that I give to the person at the WTMD, informing them of the nature of my issue, and I also tell them verbally that I am medically exempt. Half the time they wave me through the WTMD (and half of that time, conduct an explosives test on my hands). The other half of the time, the TSA person gives me a LOT of grief in an effort to force me into either the scanner or the enhanced pat-down. So far, eventually they step away for a few minutes, then someone else comes along and waves me through the WTMD.
What phrasing do you recommend I use, both on the card and by speaking, when I initially notify the screening person of my situation, to skip the part where the TSA person gives me grief?
Thanks to your work, we have all learned about what we are doing that doesn't work.
Do you have any suggestions on how to implement a reasonable airport / transit security system?
If not, can you point to some things that need to be considered that you think are likely to be missed by someone lacking your front-line experience?
The recent story about the 2" plastic gun being confiscated was sad. This was a prop for a sock puppet, yet - it was considered dangerous. How about some simple common sense?
2) Have you ever heard of any TSA precautions actually catching a terrorist planning on attacking a flight - when the TSA were not alerted by another agency?
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
Why is it that people apply for law enforcement or government positions and then continue to follow through on orders that are morally and/or ethically objectionable to the self and the general public?
Why would anyone believe it suddenly becomes okay to violate people's fundamental liberties simply because someone is trying to "earn a living"?
Thank you Dave Raggett
In training To detain, arrest, etc. What have they told TSA agents that they can not do?
Beware of those who profit off the docile and persecute the unbelievers.
In the military I was always taught it was not only my right but my duty to disobey unlawful orders. Is this subject ever broached in training with the TSA?
I read all your blog a while ago. I would like some real world advice on two things:
1) how can I get through security as fast as possible?
2) how can I minimize my chances of getting my nuts grabbed?
I'm not going to throw a principled fit at the security checkpoint because I know it won't accomplish anything at all. I'll fight my battles elsewhere. I'll play the game in line, yessir, yes ma'am, whatever. Just get me through an don't grab my nuts! I have a plane to catch and want to leave with my dignity intact.
So any advice on playing the game? That would be nice.
I recently had n incident with a TSA screener. I didnt quite hear her question about concealed liquids as it would turn out, but then she didnt wait for my reply, so I went through a couple rounds of "What? Talk louder? What?". All the while my harmless quart bag of toiletries went through. Screener started mouthing off and making accusations and colluding with other TSA employees and creating a specktacle. Never answered my question then said something to the effect "I was just joking with you." after having accused me of breaking a rule. I didn't appreciate it so I went to the mangement desk and told them something to the effect of "You people expect NO JOKING from us travelers. Why is it OK with TSA to act this way? Supervisor agreed and said he would handle my complaint." Questions to you are: Are they handled? What should a travel do when they encounter TSA misbehavior? We still need to make our flight, so any advice for after-the-fact action?
I travel FREQUENTLY, and always opt out of the naked scanners at the airport... partially because of safety concerns, partly because of my view that they're security theatre and ineffective, and partly in protest. After all - as inconvenient as a hand pat-down is, I KNOW that won't give me cancer in 20 years. 4-5 scans a week or more over 20 years... what's that going to do to me?
Question: do the TSA agents hate me? :)
I used to have a sig, but I set it free and it never came back.
Is the "random" selection for additional screening truly random?
I remember 10-11 years ago, I used to fly every week with Southwest Airlines out of Boston's Logan. For the first few months, I was "randomly" selected at each and every flight at boarding time. I was assuming it was because I was travelling with a French passport - I remember how popular French were at that time in the US. Then, after a couple months, I was never selected again, presumably because Southwest had built a profile on me showing that I was a "good" passenger. Is there any real substance to my (admittedly biased) assumptions?
If I book a flight to Kiev in the spring, for vacation of course. Would that make me more likely to be suspect?
Previously, while flying home from Italy, I was scanned about 5 different times for airport security. On the last screening which was a gate screening. I had not shaved for days as I was on vacation and didn't really want to deal with razors/TSA.
After checking my bag a man physically searched me and then had his gloves inspected for bomb making items. That turned out positive. 15 minutes later they found the machine was returning positive for clean unused gloves, making it clearly an equipment malfunction of some sort. I thinking, ok, now you can let me board since your equipment is broken. Nope. Instead they had to take me down to the station, causing me to miss my flight.
So I’m wondering if there is anything I can do to be less likely to be pulled to the side and if it does happen again is there a way to get the TSA to pay for my flight? Would my scraggly beard have been a reason for my selection in the line?
I've heard of the practice of "hand swabbing" - randomly selecting passengers to have a cotton swab coated in some chemical run over their hands and tested for explosive residue. I do NOT consent to any contact with my skin (or any physical contact from strangers at all, excepting lifesaving medical procedures) - how would I go about refusing this and what would happen afterward?
Note that this question is academic - I refuse to set foot in airports and have done since the introduction of the Reign of Molestation in 2010, and will continue to do so until the RoM is stopped and (hopefully) John Pistole is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole, the entirety of his sentence to be spent in solitary confinement with the cell door permanently welded shut.
Help protect civil rights from abuse by the TSA - visit TSA News Blog.
http://www.tsanewsblog.com
How do TSA agents treat you? Have you ever had to endure any punitive hassling? Or do they find some way to communicate their approval for what you are doing?
The whole concept of smuggling enough *high-purity* H2O2 onto a plane is vastly silly. My late ex, a materials scientist who worked with hypergols at KSC, used tell me just how hard it was to deal with. Close to 100% purity, and the slightest impurity - even a dust mote - would set the damn stuff off. Think of it as slightly less explosive, but just as sensitive, as pure nitroglycerin.
mark
What's with the guards by the vending machines in terminals? What would happen if I insisted on using the vending machines?
The airports I fly through have nooks with vending machines. When I go through (always day or early evening), there's always a guard. I tried to use the vending machines a couple times and was told "no" and they're only for when the shops are closed.
What goes? Whose policy is it? Do the shop vendors pay separately for this extra protection?
The bombs in the Bojinka Plot were primarily nitroglycerin, with some other ingredients. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...
About a year ago I was traveling home, and the TSA had set up a security checkpoint at the gate in Amsterdam. The screener (A Dutchman, oddly) kept asking me question after question, surely suspicious of something. This only thing even remotely suspicious was that I had gone through Switzerland, and my flight was cancelled so I had been re-routed through Amsterdam.
Do you have any idea why the gate agent gave me the third degree, asking me all these questions about where I had been, etc? I've traveled quite a bit internationally, and this was the hardest time I've had getting back in the US. Is it just TSA being extra-paranoid about anyone coming through Switzerland due to the super-rich trying to take money out of Swiss banks after the banks agreed to turn over records? Or is it just the Dutch TSA agents are dicks?
AccountKiller
I know you said above you would avoid back scatter x-rays, but what about the cumulative dose from back scatter, AND the luggage scanners. It seems like there is a push from management at the TSA not to track the dosage the employees receive. Do there regular TSA agents feel this is OK or do they want some from of tracking? Have you done some checking on the dosage based on machine type and manufacturers documentation?
I think most TSA screeners-- myself, definitely-- didn't really know much about the TSA before accepting the offer. All I knew was that it was security at the airport, and that it was a job that had to be done, one way or another. I hadn't ever really paid much attention to the TSA in the news or anything, and I really never flew very much, so the TSA just didn't concern me. It wasn't until after being hired, maybe about a year after, that I realized that there were a lot of absurd things going on, many of which represented unnecessary intrusion upon people's privacy. There really is no excuse-- if anyone believes that his or her job at the TSA entails violating people's liberties, they should theoretically quit immediately. Anyone who doesn't is not doing the morally pure thing, it's true. I was being a hypocrite by being employed there while speaking out against them. I admitted that a couple times on my blog. It can be tough, figuring out how to get out of a job situation that one doesn't believe in and into another job situation without going homeless, especially in a tough economy. I got out as soon as I found a new job situation that didn't mean that I would lose my apartment, my internet access, and my ability to continue regularly speaking out. On the front line, in practice, this is the dynamic that ends up being in place at airports around the U.S.: there are a bunch of TSA agents on any given checkpoint who don't believe in most of the rules that the TSA sends down, and who do their best to just disregard the rules whenever possible, and make things easy on passengers. Then there is the other camp, the people who believe that every last TSA rule is good and pure, and must be followed to a T. Some of the people in the latter camp are determined to get anyone who's not enforcing the TSA's rules in trouble, when possible. There are two camps of warring crotch-patting Jedi knights at every airport, basically.
I find it hard to believe that someone could not know that they'd be working for the government and patting people down/forcing them through invasive machines at airports, thereby violating people's rights and the US constitution. The only way I can imagine something different is if they were completely mindless and didn't think about anything, but even in that case, they should have quit in the first five seconds, regardless of where they'd end up. Just disregarding the rules is not good enough.
The TSA must be eliminated and the government must get its slimy, invasive hands out of airports entirely.
TSA agents are told that they are not allowed to physically restrain a passenger in any way, or use force in any way. If a passenger just screams "Fuck this" and runs through security, TSA agents are, by agency policy, not allowed to do anything besides follow that person and call for help. The agent isn't supposed to even lay a hand on that passenger's shoulder to try to get him or her to stop.
I've been answering Qs for a little over 4 hours, I think I'm just about done now at 6: 20 Central time. I'll maybe come back later tonight and do one more sweep. Thanks for the awesome questions, you guys were great.
Normal disposable lighters (Bic or whatever), Zippo lighters, and book matches are all explicitly allowed in US carry-ons. Quantity=1, I think. High-powered cigar "torches" are forbidden. http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-in...
I applied for TSA in 2005; at that point, there'd only been 3 years, max, of anti-TSA sentiment and stories in the media and such. I suppose it would be different for someone applying for TSA today, nearly 10 yeas after I applied
Why would anyone believe it suddenly becomes okay to violate people's fundamental liberties simply because someone is trying to "earn a living"?
isn't that the entire purpose of the legal industry?
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
The first question that I was asked for this Q and A actually came on Twitter, and I promised on Twitter that I would answer it on here, and I actually saw the question somewhere in this sea of questions at one point, and of course forgot to get to it, somehow. But that question is: Have I experienced any retaliation from the TSA, have I flown since then, and if I have flown since then, have I been recognized by TSA agents . So far, there has been no official word from the TSA as far as problems concerning any nondisclosure agreement or what have you. As many people have noted in various places, the TSA has to really, really be prepared to hit me with official action, and it has to be really, really sure that it's a good idea, because I've obviously made a few contacts in the media over the past couple years, and I'm obviously not exactly shy about sharing whatever's going on in my life with the world at any given time. Short of just straight-up disappearing me Stalin-style-- which I think would be a little overboard, really, for goddamned airport security matters-- any action taken against me will likely end up as news one way or another. We're not dealing with Snowden-caliber releases of information, here. I've seen a few mentions of my name in the same sentence with Snowden in places on the internet, which I think is absolutely absurd. Snowden is on a whole different level. I don't even consider myself a whistle-blower, really. Maybe one thing I did-- the very first post I made on my blog, informing the public that I, as a TSA employee, and many of us, strongly felt that the radiation Rapiscan scanners were mostly useless, and that the TSA tried to work around the machines' inherent flaws with clumsy directives involving additional pat-downs of passengers-- counted as a sort of whistle-blowing act. But other than that, all I'm doing is basically just telling my stories. That's what I am, a storyteller, a writer-- I'm a creative writing major in a fully funded grad school program. I've been writing short stories and screenplays since I was 8. I primarily want to inform and entertain the world with stories of things that I experienced at the TSA, delivered in high-quality fashion. [Please don't hold this post or any of these rapid-fire Q and A pieces of writing that I'm producing here too close to that standard, though, it's pretty fast and furious with big-ass Q and A sessions like this]. As for whether I've flown since working at the TSA: hell no. I've taken Amtrak everywhere, in terms of cross-country travel. I don't intend to fly for a while. I wouldn't be too surprised if I were recognized by someone, or if some sort of enhanced screening mysteriously popped up for me. Although, then again, knowing the TSA as I do, I may very well be one of the last people they want to give extra screening to at an airport, knowing that it would very likely become news to some degree. So actually, I probably should try flying one of these days soon, just to see what happens. I genuinely hate flying, though, because it's just an all around unpleasant experience these days, but I suppose I don't have to tell that to most of you. OK, this is officially it, I'm out of here, it's been great, you guys
WTF is a non-sequitor?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
"there are some good people at TSA"
The fact that they are at the TSA proves otherwise.