Expert: TSA Screening Is Security Theater

TSA Head Disputes Claim, Tells 60 Minutes Measures Are Necessary Because "This Is A War"

(CBS)  But the question is: is everything we go through at checkpoints actually making us safer? Security expert Bruce Schneier says no. He says much of it is just "security theater."

"It's a phrase I coined for security measures that look good, but don't actually do anything," he explained.

Schneier, who has been an adviser to TSA but also its most persistent thorn-in-the-side, says there are too many silly rules.

Take the baggies for liquids, which became a rule in 2006 when British authorities uncovered a plot to bring liquid bombs on board airliners headed for the U.S.: Schneier says the liquid limits may make us feel safe, but do little to stop terrorists.

"If you try to bring a bottle of liquid onto an airplane, a screener's going to a see it, look at it, say, 'Oh, look, it's a bottle of liquid,' toss it over her shoulder into a trash can," he said.

Schneier said they don't test those tossed bottles. "They're not even scared of it. They put it in a trash can right next to them. That’s where it stays all day. Alright, let's say I want to smuggle a liquid on an airplane. I go through airport security. If they catch me, I go around and go through again. If they catch me, I go round and go through again. I can do it 100, 1,000 - I can do it all day till I get it through. So because it's not treated as dangerous, there's no point in taking it away."

"But the British police did uncover a plot to use liquids. So you've eliminated something….You've put it off the table….That can't be bad," Stahl said.

"It's not bad. The question is, is it good?" Schneier questioned. "If there are 1,000 ways to blow up an aircraft and you get rid of one, you're a little bit safer. If you spend, I'm making this up, $10 million to do that, are you $10 million safer? Probably not."

How about $160 million safer? That's what TSA is spending each year on more than 2,000 "behavior detection officers." They prefer to remain anonymous as they roam checkpoints, examining micro-facial expressions, looking for signs of nervousness or anxiety. TSA claims it can help spot a terrorist.

"I have come crashing into airports, all agitated cause I’m late or whatever. Wouldn’t they pick me out too?" Stahl asked Kip Hawley.

"No, because you're normal. Everybody that comes to an airport is behind and is tense and is anxious, and 'Am I going to miss my flight?'" Hawley said.

Hawley said the behavior detection officers can tell if someone is anxious over missing a flight or anxious over carrying a bomb.

But Bruce Schneier said there's not a lot of truth in that. "But they'd love it if you reported it, because, you know, in all seriousness, we are safer if the bad guys believe we've got this piece of magic."

60 Minutes asked TSA if any of the 180,000 passengers stopped by the behavior officers for an interview turned out to be a terrorist. They wouldn't tell us, but Congressional sources said no.

Now Congress is asking TSA for proof that all these expensive security measures are working, because it turns out that, despite rigorous training, screeners continue to miss things that government inspectors smuggle through the checkpoints.

[TrickynWV]

The TSA and Border Patrol are jokes. Worse, they are a plague on the American taxpayers. I just read a story how millions of dollars of drugs were smuggled across Canada and US borders with low budget helicopters. Any terrorist would certainly consider entering in this fashion.

When will our congress have enough gonads to put a stop to this idiotic nonsense?
We the people, ARE FED UP ! (no pun intended)

[CrankyFlier]

Sorry to burst your bubble, Mr. Hawley, but the TSA's checkpoint antics really are nothing more than "security theater" ... and not very entertaining theater at that. Thinking that the TSA is really an effective front in the "war on terror" is probably a safe thing to say when you're on your way out, but if you were sticking around you'd have a less enthusiastic opinion. For me, when I want laughable entertainment, I'll tune in to Mystery Science Theater. At least then I can't be arrested for making a sarcastic yet apt comment, as your TSA goons would be quick to do at the airport.

[even par]

The critical comments about the TSA are right on the mark, especially the obscene cost. But starting with Guliani and now Kip Hawley who are heavily invested in "terrorism" the public is afraid the lady in the next seat may be a terrorist. Scared, perhaps the public would not fly without the TSA. I know why Hawley will not tell us how many terrorists he has nabbed since 9/11. It could very well be zero! Will it be twenty years before we recognize the TSA as an elaborate and expensive scam? If terrorists are just waiting to hit us why don't they grab a Gulfstream? Even Par.

[lhaleygi]

What is wrong with America?????? People can spend all evening in line for Black Friday or hours in line for a concert ticket but no way can they spend a few extra minutes in line for their own safety. I clean at a airport and you wouldnt believe what goes on their. After 9/11 everyone was all for the extra steps to prevent another terror attackl but now they all think we are safe agian so they dont want to be bothered with TSA rules. Its sad that it tkaes a major thing happening to the United States again befor eAmericans get a reality check. I for one would stand inline at a airport for however long it takes to baord a plane and know Tsa has done everything it possibly can to make sure the passengers are safe. Wake up America we are still at WAR.

I had the impression that most TSA screeners don't have the brains to work a real job where some effort is required. Since most appear to come from specific background it looks like it is make work project to bring employment so they can leave the ghetto. No real talent required to do the job except perhaps to be overweight and keep a bland stupid expression on one's face.

[kaunas8]

On top of all the normal nonsense it now appears that the TSA is stealing from people. On a recent flight my bag was searched by the TSA, after I checked it in, and later several hundred dollars worth of medicine and clothes were taken. I called TSA but cannot even speak to a real human being but instead must fill out a form and trust that the bureaucracy can get this resolved. Your tax dollars at work.

Stealing is one of the job skills for the job and they get to wear a uniform while they do it. Well at least they are off the street and not shooting each other.

[RobertBaldridge]

I have for years before 911 set off the airport check points because of back operation and four hip operations. I wish we did not have to have the security, but to know that some nut with a gun is not on my plane is good enough for me to have the security. I do not like having to go through security, but I do APPRECIATE it.

Thank you..

Bob Baldridge, [e-mail], Nashville, TN. 37215

[number1GI]

I will be traveling to............one of these days . I want to get there in one peace! ...If they want me down to my shorts and T-shirt I will..........As long as everyone else does

[ahinman2]

You have got to be Kidding! I am a former chief of security at an international airport and as the person responsible for the overall security of the airport my office was required to conduct fingerprint based background checks of all people requesting access to secure areas of the airport including TSA personnel. To my surprise and dismay I quickly learned that TSA was willing to hire convicted felons, admitted drug addicts and alcoholics even when they themselves had done a similar background check and were aware of the person%u2019s history. Remember, these people are placed in a position of great public trust and are generally given access to very sensitive information regarding personal information of members of the traveling public and current security measures. We should be very careful any time we consider giving up even the slightest of our liberty to TSA or any other agency. It might be more palatable to the general public if what TSA did was in some manner effective but as has been made public on several occasions every time the TSA is tested they fail more that %80 of the time.

[vegasjoe79]

I say let passengers, except those profiled to be dangerous, bring their guns on the plane; then any terrorist won''t know who is packing a weapon and who is not so effectively they cannot plot! Use steel doors in the cockpit withboth pilots armed and loaded.

[k_pasa]

In the decade in United States, terrorists have destroyed a handful of buildings and a couple of thousand lives. Our reaction to terrorism has destroyed entire industries, destroyed countries, and killed hundreds of thousands of people.




Posted by mljohns00
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It''s also saved many thousands of lives and hundreds of buildings...not to mention firemen and police. Since when did protecting the population become a bad thing?

[k_pasa]

Points of Logic:
There should be two flights for each route. One for those who don''t have a problem with security, and the other for those who do. Which plane will you board?
Volume: It''s the volume, stupid. Limited volume (3oz) limits the potential outcome from an evil doer. Larger containers create larger results.
The baggie is simply a measuring tool. You are limited to as many 3 oz containers that you can put in a qt size bag. Volume, stupid.
C-Pap: If you knew each one was being tested for explosives, would you try to bring one in. It''s not just finding, it''s preventing! How do you train for a random pull? Security theater? I''d say security magic. Let the security (expert?) find a real job. Good Day!

[arthurggggg]

The TSA is specificly designed to lull the American Public into accepting random, pointless, searches at the whim of the government. Look at them. TSA screeners are being trained to be smiling and polite. WHY? To appear benign and unthreatening as they strip you of your Freedom. Look at their faces, if YOU seriously believed the next passenger might be an armed and murderously suicidal killer, would you be all relaxed and cheery? If you seriously believed that the next suitcase you open may blow you to Kingdom Come, would you be a Perky Pixie? If you do NOT believe that ......... WHY ARE YOU HERE!? Exactly. There - is - NO - terrorist - threat, and ... THEY ... know ... it.
Their facial reading is thwarted by a valium. Their "war" is a war on Freedom. Simply ... this is all an elaborate cover for LOOTING THE PUBLIC TREASURY. The politicians are invested in the companies that provide the equipment.

[pjdarling12]

I''m sorry but whenever I enter the security area of an airport I get flashes from those documentaries on conditions inside our prisons.

99.999% of us are generally peaceful folk who just want an uneventful trip to our destination. Many of us would even help subdue a wrongdoer. Some have.

We are in this together Mr/Ms TSA person. We don''t want the bad guys to cause harm any more than you. Don''t treat us like we do.

[execoly]

Security Theater. Like the title.

The reality: 9/11 occurred because the rules for pilots at that time were: Cooperate with hijackers. Do as they say, fly them where they want to go, and make sure the passengers are not harmed.

Since 9/11 the rules have changed. As noted in the article, the pilots now sit behind bulletproof, locked doors in the cockpit. The instructions to pilots and crew are clear: Do not cooperate. Do not obey the terrorists. Never give up the aircraft. Under ANY circumstances.

Little known factoid: Federal Air Marshals are not on the plane to protect the passengers. They are there to defend the cockpit.

As a consequence, the possibility of a 9/11-style hijacking is very nearly 0%, and has been since 9/12. The measures at check-in security are now predominantly about 1) protecting the aircraft from attack (NOT hijacking) and 2) cosmetics (security theater).

Keep in mind, the PERCEPTION of security is of value, also as noted in the story. Still, $40 Billion might seem a little excessive, but heck, its a jobs program.

[mljohns00]

In the decade in United States, terrorists have destroyed a handful of buildings and a couple of thousand lives. Our reaction to terrorism has destroyed entire industries, destroyed countries, and killed hundreds of thousands of people.

[Excalibur200]

I was in airline quality assurance and safety for 14 years. No one ever got a government job by saying during an interview "I have an idea!". It should be very obvious that the government is an employer of last resort. The type of people they hire are those who will be least threatening to the status quo.

[arthurggggg]

Totally Stupid *** -- TSA
The TSA is blackmailing thousands of Citizens, everyday, into "Voluntarily Abandoning Property" (VAP)
liquid, gel, and aerosol, worth millions of dollars.
The alledged reason is these MIGHT be dangerous, toxic, explosive, poisonous, chemicals.
Do you know what is happening to this treasure?
The TSA geniuses are taking these "dangerous, toxic, explosive, poisonous, chemicals" and,
tossing them into big bins, sorted by THE LABEL, and , UNTESTED or CRITICALLY EXAMINED,
storing them.
Gee. What if I was a "terrorist" (are there any?) and made a bomb that LOOKED like a common flammable item.
Yes, you are right. The TSA morons would acommadatingly take it from me,
put it in their pile of OTHER FLAMMABLES, and store it until MY bomb ignited the items it is stored with.
The TSA would have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA who GAVE them the bomb, because they don''t record such things.
TSA "officers" around the country are drinking "VAP" pop, water, etc.
(and accepting "gifts" of food, drink)
GEE, what if someone injected some hallucinogens? well ..... how would we be able to tell if THAT happened?........
Same as with the stored items.

[arthurggggg]

Tue Oct 14, 2008 6:43PM EDT

The TSA reached a mind-boggling new low in customer service this week when it was revealed that one agent had single-handedly absconded with over $200,000 worth of travelers'' belongings, primarily cameras and laptops, and proceeded to unload his booty on eBay. His latest haul: A near-$50,000 camera that an HBO employee had been traveling with.

The culprit is one Pythias Brown, a New Jersey resident who worked in the TSA department at Newark Liberty Airport. Finally busted, police discovered an inventory of 66 cameras, 31 laptops, assorted jewelry, and more when they searched his home. How''d he finally get caught? Brown snagged a camera belonging to CNN, and they found it for sale on eBay, where Brown had been converting the gear into cash.

[arthurggggg]

December 6, 2008
Regional Director of Homeland Security Arrested for harboring illegal alien

Lorraine Henderson, the Boston regional director of Homeland Security, Customs, and Border Protection, was arrested Friday at her home in Salem, MA. She was charged with harboring an illegal alien and ordered released on $25,000 unsecured bond during an initial appearance in federal court. She was expected to appear in federal court in Boston later Friday on a charge of harboring an illegal alien.

If convicted, Henderson faces up to 10 years in prison. She declined to comment after her court appearance.