tsa

New airport metal detector is a shoe-in

When it comes to gentility and airline security, we may have something to learn from Nairobi International, where they have the decency, and the equipment, to allow you to keep your shoes on.

Nairobi joins Madrid, Prague, and Budapest in deploying the MagShoe, a "high-speed, shoes-on, portable footwear weapons detection system," at their respective airports. U.K. and U.S. airports may be next.

The MagShoe is a metal detector designed to test shoes and ankles in the ongoing fight against foot-borne threats. A passenger simply steps on what looks like a twin mud scraper/shoe buffer, and … Read more

TSA plan could make travel particularly unsafe for some

Major air carriers are opposing a Transportation Security Administration plan to collect the birth dates and genders of airplane travelers, along with their full names, saying the added data collection will create needless hassles.

While the new data collection could add to the annoyance of air travel for the masses of air passengers, the move would pose a special challenge for those of us for whom the question of gender is more complicated than checking one of the two boxes.

Now, I fly a lot. And while some people may see me as female, and others as male, the fact … Read more

Why don't US airlines check passenger IDs? Money

Why were US airlines able to stop checking IDs at the gate less than a year after 9/11, while European and Asian airlines still to this day check identity documents. Has this resulted in a lower level of flight security in the US? Do US airlines know something the Europeans don't, or do they just have more lobbying power with their government. This blog post analyzes the economic reasons behind the US airlines decision to stop checking IDs, and exposes the fact that US Passenger Name Record (PNR) data is for the most part, unreliable and worthless.

This … Read more

Homeland Stupidity: Security policies that place the public at risk

Homeland security officials seem to have adopted a naive and dangerous standard to detect bombs: Devices sold by major corporations that come packaged in logo-adorned, mass produced containers are perfectly safe, while those made by hobbyists and tinkerers with exposed wires and batteries are potential bombs or at least hoax devices.

The problem with this approach is that in many past cases of successful terrorism, especially those committed by state-sponsored groups, the bombs were actually hidden in fully-functioning mass-market electronic devices: personal stereos and mobile phones. Smart terrorists, the ones we should be trying to thwart, do not walk into … Read more

Skip to the front of the airport security line

Attempts to assert your right to fly without ID can often be very frustrating, due to Transportation Security Administration and airport officials not knowing their own rules.

With any luck, this should no longer be an issue because the TSA has, at last, clarified things.

Passengers with tickets for domestic flights are under no obligation to present ID to TSA. Passengers may be required to show ID to airline employees, but that is a contractual matter between the airlines and their passengers. U.S. government employees cannot, however, require you to show ID in order to pass through the security … Read more

An airport scanner for the home

One simply can't be too careful in this security-conscious age. You could, for example, have installed security cams, metal detectors and even a moat around your dwelling, but there's always the chance that you missed something. And for some reason, the idea of hiring security personnel to conduct body-cavity searches hasn't quite caught on for private residences.

Once again, we turn to technology for a reasonable compromise: Your very own X-ray scanner. Now you too can play TSA agent in the comfort of your own home while viewing this system's 17-inch LCD to inspect the contents … Read more