Suit opposing "nude scanners" will be heard Thursday

The Threatlevel blog at Wired.com reports that the lawsuit filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals. At issue are potential health problems and the effectiveness of the scanners. The scanners were pushed into service over the objections of privacy advocates as well as the questions on their usefulness from other government organizations, such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

I hope these scanners are removed from service, but I doubt they will be. Too much money has been spent, and someone would have to take the fall for the security blunder. Even when a terrorist gets past the scanner the TSA won't admit they're ineffective. The agency will say that the terrorists are a wiley bunch who came up with new tactics to circumvent our almost air-tight security. Never mind that the tactics have been used by smugglers to get contraband into and out of countries for centuries.

TSA proves full body scanners unreliable

Originally published 2/25/11 on lubbockonline.com/glasshouses

Kyle VanHemert at Gizmodo reports that in what apparently was the TSA testing it's own procedures an undercover agent passed through the vaunted full body scanners with a gun multiple times- without triggering alarms or being stopped.

The full body scanners have been touted as absolutely necessary for the security of our airports and planes. Privacy advocates have been against these scanners from the moment plans to use them were announced. I've blogged about them in the past, including a past mistake the TSA claimed would never happen. These scanners are not the great shield the TSA claims they are. Instead, they are the emperors new clothes. The TSA has just proved it.

If the report is correct. The TSA isn't admitting anything, and no one has been disciplined. That doesn't really tell us anything. If it's true they can't admit it - that would reveal a serious breach in our security. If it's a lie, denying it will only reinforce the idea that they're hiding the truth. I wouldn't want to be John Pistole right now. But I'd hate worse to be him when a terrorist gets through the massive security hole that he is pretending he is a shield.

TSA tests new scanner software. Security theater now PG

Amar Toor at switched.com reports that the TSA is trying out new software on some of their full body scanners. The software doesn't display an image of the person being scanned, it only shows a generic male or female image with the suspected contraband highlighted.

This is great when it comes to personal privacy. But it's a massive fail as a security measure. The ability of the scanners to pick up the explosives used by the underwear bomber is still in question, and circumventing the scanners is dirt simple, anyway. As security theater, it's a great show. As real security it gets a raft of golden raspberry's.

TSA protects itself, not us

According to an article by Laura Curting in the Washington Examiner the TSA has great concern over privacy. To that end it has successfully evaded Freedom of Information Act (FIA) requests for years. Despite abysmal grades in security evaluations (even when tipped off ahead of time) the TSA continues to act as if nothing is wrong.

In it's effort to avoid shining the light of day on it's failures, the TSA ignores FIA requests, retaliates against whistleblowers (which is illegal) and even claimed they couldn't verify the identity of an air marshall.

The TSA is a rogue agency that puts appearance above function and is endangering us by their (in)actions. No security is better than a false sense of security. At least with no security you aren't blindsided when the bomb goes off. Just surprised it's in your neighborhood.

The terrorists are winning

I got a kick out of this cartoon by Mike Keefe on the Cagle Political Cartoon blog. I thought it was pretty close to right, but amusing.

Then I read about Thomas Sawyer, a survivor of bladder cancer who was humiliated by thoughtless TSA employees. He was chosen for an enhanced pat down after going through the full body scanner. He tried to warn them about his urostomy bag, but they ignored him and broke the seal, leaving him wet and smelling of urine. The TSA employees acted as though nothing had happened despite the wet spot on his clothes. And I realized that the changes we're enduring because of terrorism are no laughing matter.

Next I read a headline, "Qaeda Branch Aimed for Broad Damage at Low Cost," referring to the failed (or not) parcel bomb last month. The terrorists claim the operation may not have blown up a plane, but it had the desired effect of causing the U.S. to revamp security again, a time consuming and expensive prospect. In fact they've shifted emphasis from flashy attacks to simple, low grade attacks that cause maximum return in things like expanded security procedures.

The terrorists have won. They control our airport security. We need to turn things around and come up with reasonable procedures for airport security that respect human dignity and treat airline passengers like customers, not suspects.

TSA procedures fail most important test: Effectiveness

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is coming under a lot of fire lately. Privacy advocates and groups are attacking full body scanners and "enhanced" pat downs while overzealous, poorly trained or just plain drunk with power employees do things that are fueling the fires of citizen backlash against the ridiculous procedures.

From the (over)reaction to Johnny Edge's refusal to get either full body scanned or an enhanced pat down to a three year old girl terrorized by a too literal interpretation of the rules by a TSA employee, it has become obvious that the TSA and our government have forgotten who the enemy is. And I think even the low level employees know how ineffective their procedures are. The frustration, and maybe even fear that they will be the one that let's a bomber through cause them to react to any resistance, even a tired, scared three year old, as if it's a serious threat.

Of course, not everyone thinks the TSA is wrong. Even though there are experts who refute the TSA claims that the full body scanners are harmless. Even though there is doubt that the scanners would detect explosives of the type used by the crotchbomber. Even though no one knows if the scanners will detect or scan through artificial flesh. Even though the GAO recommended more testing before buying or deploying any more of the scanners earlier this year. Even though there is so much doubt about the real usefulness of the scanners The Christian Science Monitor supports the TSA, as does Alex Altman at the Time Swampland political blog. Mr. Altman cites a CBS poll showing that 81% of Americans are ok with the TSA procedures. But the problems with TSA procedures will persist even if 100% of the citizens are ok with them.

You can say that any security can be breached by someone clever and determined enough. And you wouldn't be lying. But it doesn't even take a particularly clever or determined terrorist to get through the body scanners and pat downs.

But that's not the worst. The way airport security works now, all you have to do is get into the airport and approach the people lined up at the checkpoints. Not as spectacular as the flaming remnants of a passenger jet falling from the sky, but possibly even more effective as a terror tactic. Maybe as effective psychologically as hitting the Twin Towers on 9/11.

Could Israel's system scale to work with our aviation system? Can any part of it? Has anybody checked? If it can, then leaving the system we have in place unaltered is criminally negligent.

TSA:Oops, we accidentally stored the unstorable images

Do you remember the TSA telling us that airport full body scanners wouldn't violate privacy? That the images couldn't be saved or moved from the machine? I blogged about the scanners several times, here, here, and here to link to a few.

It's now being widely reported and that the feds accidentally saved tens of thousands of scans on a scanner in Florida. Declan Mcullogh on CNET give us some more details, such as this admission:

This follows an earlier disclosure (PDF) by the TSA that it requires all airport body scanners it purchases to be able to store and transmit images for "testing, training, and evaluation purposes." The agency says, however, that those capabilities are not normally activated when the devices are installed at airports.

So much for "incapable of saving images." And that's just one scanner.