Collaborate Disseminate
Seems like thermal imaging is the security theater technology of today. These features are so tempting that thermal cameras are being installed at an increasing pace. They’re used in airports and other public transportation centers to screen travelers, increasingly used by companies to screen employees and by businesses to screen customers, and even used in health care facilities to screen… Continue reading Thermal Imaging as Security Theater
The TSA is allowing people to bring larger bottles of hand sanitizer with them on airplanes: Passengers will now be allowed to travel with containers of liquid hand sanitizer up to 12 ounces. However, the agency cautioned that the shift could mean slightly longer waits at checkpoint because the containers may have to be screened separately when going through security…. Continue reading TSA Admits Liquid Ban Is Security Theater
Last week, CNN reported that the Transportation Security Administration is considering eliminating security at U.S. airports that fly only smaller planes — 60 seats or fewer. Passengers connecting to larger planes would clear security at their destina… Continue reading Don’t Fear the TSA Cutting Airport Security. Be Glad That They’re Talking about It.
Last week, CNN reported that the Transportation Security Administration is considering eliminating security at U.S. airports that fly only smaller planes — 60 seats or fewer. Passengers connecting to larger planes would clear security at their destinations. To be clear, the TSA has put forth no concrete proposal. The internal agency working group’s report obtained by CNN contains no recommendations…. Continue reading Don’t Fear the TSA Cutting Airport Security. Be Glad That They’re Talking about It.
Former TSA Administrator Kip Hawley wrote an op-ed pointing out the security vulnerabilities in the TSA’s PreCheck program: The first vulnerability in the system is its enrollment process, which seeks to verify an applicant’s identity. We know verification is a challenge: A 2011 Government Accountability Office report on TSA’s system for checking airport workers’ identities concluded that it was "not… Continue reading Security Risks of TSA PreCheck
I like this Amtrak security awareness campaign. Especially the use of my term "security theater."… Continue reading Amtrak Security Awareness
The New York Times wrote a good piece comparing airport security around the world, and pointing out that moving the security perimeter doesn’t make any difference if the attack can occur just outside the perimeter. Mark Stewart has the good quote: "Perhaps the most cost-effective measure is policing and intelligence — to stop them before they reach the target," Mr…. Continue reading Good Article on Airport Security
An economics professor was detained when he was spotted doing math on an airplane: On Thursday evening, a 40-year-old man – with dark, curly hair, olive skin and an exotic foreign accent – boarded a plane. It was a regional jet making a short, uneventful hop from Philadelphia to nearby Syracuse. Or so dozens of unsuspecting passengers thought. The curly-haired… Continue reading Economist Detained for Doing Math on an Airplane
A local newspaper recently tested airport security at Memphis Airport: Our crew sat for 30 minutes in the passenger drop-off area Tuesday without a word from anyone, and that raised a number of eyebrows. Certainly raised mine. Here’s my question: why is that a bad thing? If you’re worried about a car bomb, why do you think length of time… Continue reading Memphis Airport Inadvertently Gets Security Right