TSA and the “audacity of grope” – On Liberty (Boston Globe)
By now you’ve probably read all about the TSA’s new screening procedures, which amount to “let us see you naked, or we’ll feel you up.” If you have traveled through Logan airport recently, you’ve probably encountered them live and in person. Even worse, the Department of Homeland Security agency responsible for keeping us safe in the friendly skies has plans to cement the “porno or pat-down” policy and extend it to all U.S. airports.
Travelers are not happy. And security experts aren’t, either.
What is the new policy, exactly? It hinges on a bad choice between two privacy-invasive options.
The first is the method TSA pushes on travelers (sometimes without making clear that there is another option): the “naked scanner” machines. There are two different kinds of scanners being installed and operated in airports throughout the country, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to taxpayers.
