Former TSA Agent Explains Full Body Scanners Didn't Work, But Did Let Him See You Naked

[unhappycamper]

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140131/08552826058/former-tsa-agent-explains-full-body-scanners-didnt-work-did-let-him-see-you-naked.shtml

Former TSA Agent Explains Full Body Scanners Didn't Work, But Did Let Him See You Naked
from the but-of-course dept
by Mike Masnick
Fri, Jan 31st 2014 12:02pm

There's been less discussion over the TSA's full body scanners recently, especially since the TSA's brief but insanely expensive (with YOUR money!) experiment with the "nudie scanners" went away. However, Politico has a fascinating story from a former TSA agent revealing that much of what you suspect about the TSA is true: they were able to see you naked even as the scanners had little actual value. They do target attractive women and have a rather long list of official sounding "code names" for good looking women so they can alert each other to them while appearing professional. On those nudie scanners, he has the story of the guy who taught them how to use it, who was then asked what he thought of the machines:

“They're shit,” he said, shrugging. He said we wouldn't be able to distinguish plastic explosives from body fat and that guns were practically invisible if they were turned sideways in a pocket.

We quickly found out the trainer was not kidding: Officers discovered that the machines were good at detecting just about everything besides cleverly hidden explosives and guns. The only thing more absurd than how poorly the full-body scanners performed was the incredible amount of time the machines wasted for everyone.

Of course, what he leaves out is the real reason why these were installed in airports across the country. It had nothing to do with terrorist threats, but the fact that former DHS boss Michael Chertoff was getting rich off of helping to sell them to the government agency he used to run.

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Jeeeeesus. Reminds me of federal ed. "reform." Do me a favor, DC:

DON'T "reform" it.

( BTW, why does this Chertoff guy seem to be *everywhere*? Esp lately.)

[Heather MC]

2. Umm not to be Vain, but...

What were the Code words for Hot Chicks. I --I -- I just want to know how often my rights were violated.

[Helen Borg]

3. Lookup up 'SPOT'

That is another ~1B TSA scam with a few individuals pushing the scam getting rich:

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/item/17045-spot-ted-900-million-tsa-program-hasn-t-caught-one-terrorist

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/house-member-questions-900-million-tsa-spot-screening-program/2013/11/14/ad194cfe-4d5c-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html

This was another program being deployed without any solid scientific evidence behind it (the TV series "Lie to me" does not count as scientific evidence, just as propaganda for the program).

[valerief]

4. Bingo. It's always about the pigs at the govt trough, and those piggies are always the 1%. nt

[unhappycamper]

5. A coupla books on the subject:

(American version) Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption Are Undermining America by Arianna Huffington (Jan 27, 2004)

(Aussie version) Pigs at the Trough: Lessons from Australia's Decade of Corporate Greed by Adam Schwab (Jun 8, 2010)