Boston Globe Outs Secret TSA Tracking Program 'Quiet Skies' At Airports (bostonglobe.com)

The Boston Globe reports of a previously undisclosed program, called "Quiet Skies," that targets travelers who "are not under investigation by any agency and are not in the Terrorist Screening Data Base." The insights come from a TSA bulletin in March that describes the program's goal as thwarting threats to commercial aircraft "posed by unknown or partially known terrorists. The program "gives the agency broad discretion over which air travelers to focus on and how closely they are tracked," reports The Boston Globe. From the report: But some air marshals, in interviews and internal communications shared with the Globe, say the program has them tasked with shadowing travelers who appear to pose no real threat -- a businesswoman who happened to have traveled through a Mideast hot spot, in one case; a Southwest Airlines flight attendant, in another; a fellow federal law enforcement officer, in a third. It is a time-consuming and costly assignment, they say, which saps their ability to do more vital law enforcement work. TSA officials, in a written statement to the Globe, broadly defended the agency's efforts to deter potential acts of terror. But the agency declined to discuss whether Quiet Skies has intercepted any threats, or even to confirm that the program exists.

Already under Quiet Skies, thousands of unsuspecting Americans have been subjected to targeted airport and inflight surveillance, carried out by small teams of armed, undercover air marshals, government documents show. The teams document whether passengers fidget, use a computer, have a "jump" in their Adam's apple or a "cold penetrating stare," among other behaviors, according to the records. Air marshals note these observations -- minute-by-minute -- in two separate reports and send this information back to the TSA. All US citizens who enter the country are automatically screened for inclusion in Quiet Skies -- their travel patterns and affiliations are checked and their names run against a terrorist watch list and other databases, according to agency documents. The bulletin highlights 15 rules used to screen passengers. If someone is selected for surveillance, a team of air marshals will be placed on the person's next flight.

Comments

Re:Using a computer

[fahrbot-bot]

Why don't they just make stasis pods mandatory on flights already.

Of use synaptic dampeners. From Rick and Morty, The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy:

• Gate Attendant: Your friend is class C or above cybernetic augmentations. Emphasis on the above. In any case, he needs to be neutralized.
• Rick: What?! Wait! <zap> Ugh! Brain hurty.
• Gerry: What did you do?
• Attendant: It’s a synaptic dampener that blocks violent tendencies and controversial thought. He will now be an ideal passenger.
• Rick: I want cookies and a 90-minute cut of Avatar.
• Gerry: Seriously?
• Attendant: It’ll wear off in six hours. It’s cheaper than banning dangerous people from flights. I mean, let everybody buy a ticket, right? Otherwise, the terrorists win.