TSA Promise: No Cavity Searches

[moostraks]

"'We're not going to get in the business of body cavities, that's not where we are,' says TSA Administrator John Pistole...

Still, he said, not taking the next step is risky, even though he hasn't seen any evidence that terrorists are trying to carry explosives in their body cavities. 'We are taking some risk by not doing any screening, but it's the balance of what is the appropriate level of risk versus screening,' he said."

So the current measures are their idea of balance and appropriate. The fact they see it as the next step tells you just how far they have gone. Never thought I'd live to see the day where an airplane trip requires one to be one step removed from a cavity search....

http://politics.usnews.com/news/blog...avity-searches

edit *oops forgot link*

[Maximus]

"even though he hasn't seen any evidence that terrorists are trying to carry explosives in their body cavities"

Ummmmm yes its already happened in Saudi Arabia. Sometimes I wonder if they really are just clue less.

[sailingaway]

They wen't too far.

There IS NO perfect security; they should stop short of violating our rights and sensibilities.

[tangent4ronpaul]

I was quite sure they did do cavity searches if they singled you out for a strip search.

-t

[Heimdallr]

..."thats not where WE are"

That's the job of the Transport SAFETY Administration, not the Transport Security Administration!

[HOLLYWOOD]

YouTube - Soul Plane - We Feds Now

[Pericles]

There is nothing like admitting that everything your organization does is a total joke.

[Bruno]

so if people started blowing up planes with anal or vaginal bombs they wouldn't be able to keep us safe?

[tangent4ronpaul]

they will change their tune after the first vag or butt bomb goes off...

Oh - that person no longer workes here and apparently got the policy wrong...

-t

[Original_Intent]

This reminds me of George Jr. running on no nation building. In other words, the most visible tip off these people can give of their next move is to say they aren't gonna.

YouTube - Fletch - "Moon River"

[Anti Federalist]

Saudi suicide bomber hid IED in his anal cavity

Published 9 September 2009

http://www.homelandsecuritynews.info...-aits-by-2014/

A al-Qaeda-affiliated Saudi suicide bomber, carrying explosives in his anal cavity, managed to get close to the Saudi deputy interior minister and detonate himself (the minister was unharmed); analysts fear this may be a new method of carrying explosives on a plane

[sailingaway]

Saudi suicide bomber hid IED in his anal cavity

Published 9 September 2009

http://www.homelandsecuritynews.info...-aits-by-2014/

A al-Qaeda-affiliated Saudi suicide bomber, carrying explosives in his anal cavity, managed to get close to the Saudi deputy interior minister and detonate himself (the minister was unharmed); analysts fear this may be a new method of carrying explosives on a plane

If he 'got close' to the interior minister yet only managed to detonate himself, it seems they have a few bugs to work out, yet.

Regardless, let the airlines handle it, they can profile all they want, because they aren't the government.

[Anti Federalist]

TSA Promise: No Cavity Searches

Flashback:1985

Head of NJ State Police, on the self congratulatory speech being given in Trenton, at passage of the state's seat belt law. Second in the nation IIRC.

"I swear, I will never lobby the legislature to make seat belt infractions a "primary offense" (meaning, a cop could not pull you over just for that, it had to be some other offense to warrant a stop first, such a speeding)

By 1993 California had passed a primary enforcement law, by 1995, ten years later, NJ did as well.

By 2005, you had "Click it Or Ticket" roadblocks.

That's what the state does, it never gives up, it never tells the truth, it always expands it's power and reach, and the only thing that stops it is healthily enraged citizenry withdrawing their consent.

[runningdiz]

"'We're not going to get in the business of body cavities, that's not where we are,' says TSA Administrator John Pistole...

Still, he said, not taking the next step is risky, even though he hasn't seen any evidence that terrorists are trying to carry explosives in their body cavities. 'We are taking some risk by not doing any screening, but it's the balance of what is the appropriate level of risk versus screening,' he said."

So the current measures are their idea of balance and appropriate. The fact they see it as the next step tells you just how far they have gone. Never thought I'd live to see the day where an airplane trip requires one to be one step removed from a cavity search....

http://politics.usnews.com/news/blog...avity-searches

edit *oops forgot link*

Notice he speaks in the present "that's not where we ARE" So for now they won't does not guarantee they won't in the future.

[amy31416]

Didn't they also promise something about not saving the scanner images or transmitting them?

[Brian4Liberty]

And of course they (Janet "Douchebag" Napolitano for one) will readily say "we can't screen the cargo, there's too much of it and no way to screen it".

[Anti Federalist]

Didn't they also promise something about not saving the scanner images or transmitting them?

That's been a web of lies and bull$#@! from day one.

First they claimed that the scanners could not save images at all.

Then they had to backpedal on that when they got caught, and it was confirmed that both the Rapid Scan and L3 scanners could save images while in the "testing and evaluation" mode.

Then they lied and claimed that in no way way could the system be set up in way that would allow images to saved.

Then, under a FOIA move, gizmodo and EPIC got the over 30,000 saved images from similar scanners being used in a FL federal court.

http://gizmodo.com/5696371/exclusive...yline=true&s=i

Can the body scanners used by the TSA save images? It seems unreasonable to geeks that a computer cannot save any images at all—ever. But according to a statement made to Gizmodo by the TSA, that's the case.

After the shock last week over images that were saved by a millimeter wave scanning machine operated by U.S. Marshals at an Orland, Florida federal courthouse, many—myself included—wondered if this meant a similar leak from machines operated by the TSA was inevitable. The TSA, on the other hand, has publicly stated that there was no way at all for images to be leaked from their machines—a claim that is especially hard for geeks to swallow, for whom 'computer security' is a temporary condition.

DHS/TSA's public affairs office was kind enough to provide some answers.

I asked the Department of Homeland Security to clarify exactly which models of body scanners were currently in use by the TSA.

Their reply (emphasis mine):

TSA competitively bids new technologies and makes selections through a comprehensive research, testing, and deployment process. Technology must meet detection standards and TSA tests new technology in both laboratory and field environments. As companies develop new technologies, they can be included in the competitive process. Currently, L-3 and Rapiscan are the two vendors on TSA's qualified products list for Advanced Imaging Technology.

I also asked if it were truly "impossible" for machines to save images.

TSA (emphasis mine):

The machines in airports do not have the capability to save, print or store images. New software and hardware would need to be installed in order for this to be possible



http://gizmodo.com/5690749/these-are...ked-body-scans

At the heart of the controversy over "body scanners" is a promise: The images of our naked bodies will never be public. U.S. Marshals in a Florida Federal courthouse saved 35,000 images on their scanner. These are those images.

A Gizmodo investigation has revealed 100 of the photographs saved by the Gen 2 millimeter wave scanner from Brijot Imaging Systems, Inc., obtained by a FOIA request after it was recently revealed that U.S. Marshals operating the machine in the Orlando, Florida courthouse had improperly-perhaps illegally-saved images of the scans of public servants and private citizens.

We understand that it will be controversial to release these photographs. But identifying features have been eliminated. And fortunately for those who walked through the scanner in Florida last year, this mismanaged machine used the less embarrassing imaging technique.

Yet the leaking of these photographs demonstrates the security limitations of not just this particular machine, but millimeter wave and x-ray backscatter body scanners operated by federal employees in our courthouses and by TSA officers in airports across the country. That we can see these images today almost guarantees that others will be seeing similar images in the future. If you're lucky, it might even be a picture of you or your family.

While the fidelity of the scans from this machine are of surprisingly low resolution, especially compared to the higher resolution "naked scanners" using the potentially harmful x-ray backscatter technology, the TSA and other government agencies have repeatedly touted the quality of "Advanced Imaging Technology" while simultaneously assuring customers that operators "cannot store, print, transmit or save the image, and the image." According to the TSA—and of course other agencies—images from the scanners are "automatically deleted from the system after it is cleared by the remotely located security officer." Whatever the stated policy, it's clear that it is trivial for operators to save images and remove them for distribution if they choose not to follow guidelines or that other employees could remove images that are inappropriately if accidentally stored.

[HOLLYWOOD]

But it's for your SAFETY! It's for the better good of all drivers & passengers

It SAVES LIVES...

It REDUCES INJURIES...

It REDUCES MEDICAL BILLS...

It REDUCES LAWSUITS...

It REDUCES INSURANCE CLAIMS!

It REDUCES PAYOUTS by the BILLIONS!


One Question: Have your vehicle Insurance rates gone down since?

I betcha when Ray LaHood gets kicked outta office, he's going to work for an insurance company/corporation.

TSA Promise: No Cavity Searches

Flashback:1985

Head of NJ State Police, on the self congratulatory speech being given in Trenton, at passage of the state's seat belt law. Second in the nation IIRC.

"I swear, I will never lobby the legislature to make seat belt infractions a "primary offense" (meaning, a cop could not pull you over just for that, it had to be some other offense to warrant a stop first, such a speeding)

By 1993 California had passed a primary enforcement law, by 1995, ten years later, NJ did as well.

By 2005, you had "Click it Or Ticket" roadblocks.

That's what the state does, it never gives up, it never tells the truth, it always expands it's power and reach, and the only thing that stops it is healthily enraged citizenry withdrawing their consent.

[sailingaway]

TSA Promise: No Cavity Searches

Flashback:1985

Head of NJ State Police, on the self congratulatory speech being given in Trenton, at passage of the state's seat belt law. Second in the nation IIRC.

"I swear, I will never lobby the legislature to make seat belt infractions a "primary offense" (meaning, a cop could not pull you over just for that, it had to be some other offense to warrant a stop first, such a speeding)

By 1993 California had passed a primary enforcement law, by 1995, ten years later, NJ did as well.

By 2005, you had "Click it Or Ticket" roadblocks.

That's what the state does, it never gives up, it never tells the truth, it always expands it's power and reach, and the only thing that stops it is healthily enraged citizenry withdrawing their consent.

....you give the State a cookie....

[Bruno]

Saudi suicide bomber hid IED in his anal cavity

Published 9 September 2009

http://www.homelandsecuritynews.info...-aits-by-2014/

A al-Qaeda-affiliated Saudi suicide bomber, carrying explosives in his anal cavity, managed to get close to the Saudi deputy interior minister and detonate himself (the minister was unharmed); analysts fear this may be a new method of carrying explosives on a plane

How can you know that but the head of the TSA, and the MSM, don't?

[moostraks]

Notice he speaks in the present "that's not where we ARE" So for now they won't does not guarantee they won't in the future.

Yeah I noticed that as well. My experience has been that the most effective con artists are those which speak with specificity. Then without remorse or guilt of conscience that can rob you blind. In this case of every bit of dignity or liberty (and quite a bit of cash if you disagree).

[moostraks]

"even though he hasn't seen any evidence that terrorists are trying to carry explosives in their body cavities"

Ummmmm yes its already happened in Saudi Arabia. Sometimes I wonder if they really are just clue less.

They aren't clueless. They have an agenda and someone is heavily invested in getting these machines in place for very specific reasons. To think the intelligence industry doesn't have that type of relevant information would attest to a level of incompetence even I don't think the government is capable of nowadays.

[dean.engelhardt]

"'We're not going to get in the business of body cavities, that's not where we are,' says TSA Administrator John Pistole...

Still, he said, not taking the next step is risky, even though he hasn't seen any evidence that terrorists are trying to carry explosives in their body cavities. 'We are taking some risk by not doing any screening, but it's the balance of what is the appropriate level of risk versus screening,' he said."

So the current measures are their idea of balance and appropriate. The fact they see it as the next step tells you just how far they have gone. Never thought I'd live to see the day where an airplane trip requires one to be one step removed from a cavity search....

http://politics.usnews.com/news/blog...avity-searches

edit *oops forgot link*

Once the govenment promised us they would not search us without a warrant. Shows how well the promises are kept.

[fisharmor]

The machines in airports do not have the capability to save, print or store images. New software and hardware would need to be installed in order for this to be possible

I'm in IT.
I have never, do not now, and never will believe this.

First, there's the logic exercise.
So, let's say I strap 10 pounds of C4 to my chest and walk through airport security, because I'm one of these mythical retarded terrorists who has trouble tying my own shoes.
So then they image me, and see the C4.
Then they strip search, etc.
How will I be prosecuted for this, given that until they imaged me there was no probable cause?
Without the image, doesn't it get thrown out of court? Or was it assumed from the beginning that anyone they catch is going to Gitmo?

Second, they admit that the HARDWARE is capable of doing this - and if the hardware can do it, the software is pretty irrelevant.
If I got to look at one of these things, I'm going to find out two things immediately:
1) there's going to be a usb port somewhere,
2) there's going to be an operating system underneath the software that handles the scanning.

Literally, all I need to do is figure out how to get access to the operating system (this will probably be in the manuals) which is probably not even password protected, and I'll find that there's a hard drive of some kind where the last few images are being held. And from there it would take about five minutes to figure out how that OS interfaces with that USB key.

It's a guarantee. This is the most economical way to build a machine like this. If the scanners weren't capable of storing the images, that would have to have been designed into hardware - and by their own admission, the hardware is capable of doing it. And if the hardware is capable of doing it, it already is doing it to some extent, and it's a stupid simple matter of finding out how to get under a single layer of obscurity.

[Agorism]

The entire TSA is one giant 4th amendment violation.

There shouldn't be one piece of that organization that should be allowed to continue.

[Original_Intent]

And have they made us any safer? I must be missing the reports of all the terrorists they are catching due to the millions if not billions they are spending, the violation of our rights...I mean all I have heard about is that they have kept some suspicious tubes of toothpaste from boarding planes...

[osan]

So the current measures are their idea of balance and appropriate. The fact they see it as the next step tells you just how far they have gone. Never thought I'd live to see the day where an airplane trip requires one to be one step removed from a cavity search....

The funny/sad aspect of this is that they are so stupid and poisoned with the hubris of screaming belief in what they do that they cannot see just how ridiculous they are.

I remember a time when you could bring a gun on a plane and not worry about being hassled. I don't recall ever hearing about anyone shooting up a passenger plane from the inside.

[tangent4ronpaul]

http://www.tsa.gov/press/madness/4th...ectacular.shtm

'Fourth of July Spectacular' Takes on a Whole New Meaning at BWI

Terminal Madness

July 7, 2008

At Baltimore Washington International Airport this past Fourth of July weekend it was revealed that an individual was hiding a can of mace in his body cavity.

While TSA did not actually discover the can, the placement of the can was so uncomfortable that the passenger left the security checkpoint for the nearest restroom. The passenger ran barefoot because his shoes had already been sent through the X-ray when he abandoned the line.

Law enforcement officers caught up with the individual after he left the bathroom and attempted to throw away the recovered can. The mace was confiscated and the man was allowed to rebook, but was later denied boarding when he again showed up at the checkpoint, this time with a bottle of lighter fluid in hand.