Slashdot Mirror
Are the TSA's New Electronic Device Screenings Necessary?
First time accepted submitter Amanda Parker writes In July the US warned of a terrorism risk which led countries, such as France and the UK, to step up their security screening for flights to the US. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson directed the TSA to implement enhanced security measures. In his statement on 6 July, Johnson warned that passengers could also be asked to "power up some devices, including cell phones" and stated that "powerless devices will not be permitted on board the aircraft". In light of the US Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) recent tightening of airport security to include stricter screening of electronic devices, is the TSA right to be cautious or have its actions caused unnecessary hassle for passengers?
And its pretty shitty and annoying.
They select suspicious targets only, so any single white male, or non-single (or single) person with colored skin who isn't American and pick them apart, in front of everyone else during boarding. (so, this is after regular customs).
There's a lot of public shaming (you're explicitly a potential terrorist at this point) and discrimination (skin color and social status) in that process obviously.
At this point, you are in a separate queue and everyone in that queue will get all his bags checked, devices opened and powered up - if they don't power up, you can choose to trash them or miss the flight. If by any sort of bad luck your expensive phone or laptop is not charged, this is terrible news.
I asked (nicely and after I had been cleared) the officers why I was selected during that check and they told me that if I asked this question in the US I would be sent back to France so I'd better shut the hell up. I said ok and moved away, at which point another office came by saying they don't know how the selection is done (they get a file with names) and that he was sorry for the way its being handled (yay faith in humanity not entirely lost.. i guess).
Final note: I'm a French white male, citizen, born in France, French parents (also born in France), etc. i.e. the check is not done based on your country or origin or citizenship.
Domestic flying in Australia is almost like catching a train. I often do flights from Brisbane to Sydney as a commute - down in the morning, back in the evening. I book online, and check-in online. Then on the day of the flight I usually arrive 40 minutes before departure time, walk in, throw my carry-on on the scanner conveyor pick it up the other side and be sat at the gate with 15 minutes to spare before the gate closes 20 minutes before departure. Total time from walking in the airport door to the gate, 5-7 minutes.
When it comes to boarding I just hand the person at the gate my home printed boarding pass. Done. No ID required. No groping, no pat downs, no real queue. Worst case scenario is I time coming out of the xray process at the wrong time and get held up for another minute by the guy who swabs my bag for explosives residue.
To be honest the only reason I give myself that much of a window to get there is because unlike trains they don't let you get on the next one if your miss yours.
My old laptop had a dead battery. It only worked when plugged in. That doesn't mean I didn't still travel with it. It was still useful to me at my destination. Company policy won't let me check it in luggage.
Also, I work for a company that deals with healthcare and there is Protected Healthcare Information on my laptop. Do I need to carry HIPAA releases with me so that I can have them sign before looking at my laptop? Also, corporate policy forbids me to allow anyone else to operate my laptop, as does probably 90% of other companies in America.
If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
Likewise, I spent 2 weeks overseas with the MD of a gold mining company. Among many other tales, he asserted that it would be simple to replace up to 2/3 of a laptop battery with enough explosive to bring down a plane, and still have plenty of power left to operationally boot the laptop to Windows login if required...
He also said that the scanners frequently pick up residue on his shoes from chemicals used on the mine site (eg arsenic, not to mention explosives), so someone could easily use that as an alibi.
Can't find examples of evolution? No matter, neither could Dawkins
I don't think most people would be pleased with what the Israelis actually do for airline security, granted it is effective.
Security starts outside the airport. First as you approach there are guards with machine guns that operate a check point they stop your vehicle take a peak inside and wave you through. At this point you now will enter the airport grounds and proceed on a fairly long drive to the actual terminal with lots of cameras. As you walk in there are more guards with machine guns just watching.
Upon entry you will have to have your documents out and ready to show to an Israeli security official and hopefully you had some entity of importance sponsor your trip and provide certified exit paperwork otherwise the quick 5 questions plus verification number you were given and passport check turns into a longer interview. All this time you still have all your crap. After this you go and see the wonderful people at the x-ray machine and send your checked luggage through. If there is a question you pick up your luggage carry it over to a secure area and the nice security people make you unpack your bag with the issue and you answer their questions. If there is no issue or once done with further screening they apply the their stickers and you proceed to the ticketing counter where they ask you a few more questions, take your checked bags and give you your tickets.
Now you get to send all your carry on crap through the X-ray machine and you get to walk through a metal detector. They are very insistent that you leave your shoes on even if they are steel toe boots. If you trip the metal detector let them know what you have that is metallic and they wand and pat you down. If you have steel toe boots they wand you and then make you go and get a foot X-ray. At this point you still need to go through passport control where they will again ask you a few more questions. Finally after all that you get to go eat some crappy food in their terminal and go visit the tax rebate office there before you begin to board the plane. When boarding begins they open everyone's carry on luggage and search through it, sometimes if it is really a mess (the women with the suitcase of a purse with 15lbs of trash in it) they dump it all out on the table.
This also completely ignores the paperwork that you have to fill out to go there but I haven't had to do that since I have only traveled for work. The exit paperwork that your important sponsor, if you are lucky enough to have one, has you fill out stamps and sends to the airport requests all details about your trip. Where you stayed, where you went, what you did, where you spend each night and day. If you go to an interesting place where you might have had contact with bad people expect more questions at the airport. It is cheap (compared to what we do), effective, invasive as hell, and requires having competent people who are willing to profile the hell out of people.
Time to offend someone