$1B TSA Behavioral Screening Program Slammed As "Junk Science"

schwit1 writes The Transportation Security Administration has been accused of spending a billion dollars on a passenger-screening program that's based on junk science. The claim arose in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which has tried unsuccessfully to get the TSA to release documents on its SPOT (Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques) program through the Freedom of Information Act. SPOT, whose techniques were first used in 2003 and formalized in 2007, uses "highly questionable" screening techniques, according to the ACLU complaint, while being "discriminatory, ineffective, pseudo-scientific, and wasteful of taxpayer money." TSA has spent at least $1 billion on SPOT. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported in 2010 that "TSA deployed SPOT nationwide before first determining whether there was a scientifically valid basis for using behavior detection and appearance indicators as a means for reliably identifying passengers as potential threats in airports," according to the ACLU. And in 2013, GAO recommended that the agency spend less money on the program, which uses 3,000 "behavior detection officers" whose jobs is to identify terrorists before they board jetliners.

Comments

Let me guess

[NotDrWho]

A billion dollar program to tell screeners that the Arab guy or black guy who is shaking like a leaf, mumbling "allah-ackbar" over-and-over under his breath, and wants to check a huge bag should maybe be singled out for additional screening.

Re:Let me guess

[Major Blud]

"They aren't completely brain-dead."

I'm pretty sure that somebody willing to blow himself up on the premise that he'll receive 72 non-existing virgins in a place that doesn't exists ruled by a made-up deity fits of the definition of brain-dead pretty well.

Re:Let me guess

[MetalliQaZ]

You're confusing brain-washed with brain-dead. Different things.

Of course it is ...

[gstoddart]

TSA is a place where money goes to be spent on the premise that spending money on things which do nothing is better than doing nothing, even if the outcomes are the same.

They have a blank check to spend money on stuff with no proof it has any value.

Other than harassing everybody, the TSA has accomplished very little. It's become a money pit which pretends to be keeping us safe.

The TSA can point to very few incidents where they've actually stopped anything related to terrorism. Mostly they just serve to annoy everybody else.

Meanwhile, the baggage handlers are the ones who keep getting caught smuggling stuff.

The TSA is a pathetic joke, beefed up by reactionary politicians, and which utterly has failed to make anybody "safer" by any objective measure. In fact, everything they do seems to be devoid of "objective measure".

Re:Security theater

[Anonymous Coward]

I refuse to visit the US because of this. It's not because of the people.

When the TSA makes unreasonable demands of me and they try to explain it with "if you have nothing to hide..." I'll have a very hard time not to reply with "Post your private parts on the internet. Or do you have something to hide?"

I don't think this tactic would go well over for the TSA employees. :)

Chatting with passengers

[DRichardHipp]

I recall going through security at the Charlotte, NC airport once, a few years ago, and noticed TSA agents out in the queue making smalltalk with all of the passengers. "Hey, how are y'all doin' today?", "Goin' someplace warm?", "Be sure to take off that belt buckle sir.", "Were are y'all headed?", "Y'all fly much?", and so forth. At first I thought that this was a misguided effort at public relations. But then it occurred to me that those agents were probably pre-screeners looking for nervous and evasive passengers who would then be subjected to additional traditional screening. I don't know what SPOT is and have no opinion of its effectiveness. But it seems to me that chatting up passengers in order to spot potential trouble-makers is probably the single most effective part of the whole TSA process.

It is NOT 'Junk Science'

[YrWrstNtmr]

The SPOT program is going exactly what it was created to do
Funnel money from the government (my pocket), into the pocket of the consultants, companies, and employees of whoever built it.

Re:Security theater

[gewalker]

The TSA is bad you US citizens including those that don't fly.

1. Over 7 billion dollars in 2014 budget for TSA
2. Who know how many lost tourism dollars>
3. Long distance driving to avoid TSA.
4. Loss of freedom encouraging government to further encroachment of freedoms.

Re: Security theater

[TheCarp]

Actually thats demonstrably false. The only evidence I need is.... the entire history of airport security prior to the creation of the TSA.

Was airport security always a joke? You bet it was. It was always as much of a joke as it is now, but, it was a lot cheaper and, private security was not NEARLY as abusive to paying customers.

Fact is, without government intervention, all this security mumbo jumbo would quickly blow over and security would be downsized appropriately. We pay quite a lot for the ever present paranoia of committees charged only with pissing themselves at every shadow.