TechDirt reports
Thanks to FOIA requests (and lawsuits), the ACLU has gathered enough documents to provide a comprehensive report [PDF] on the worthlessness of the TSA's "Behavioral Detection" program. Meant to give the agency a better way of proactively thwarting acts of terrorism, the program instead opts for lazy profiling, dubious readings of behavioral cues, and junk science.
The documents[1] show the evolution of the behavior detection program and make clear the extent to which it is a program of surveillance of unsuspecting travelers based on unreliable indicators. "Behavior detection officers", some of them dressed in plain clothes, scrutinize travelers at airports for over 90 behaviors that the TSA associates with stress, fear, or deception, looking for what the TSA calls signs of "mal-intent". The reliability of these so-called indicators is not supported by the scientific studies in the TSA files. The behavior detection officers may then engage travelers in "casual conversation" that is actually an effort to probe the basis for any purported signs of deception. When the officers think they perceive those behaviors, they follow the travelers, subject them to additional screening, and at times bring in law enforcement officers who can investigate them further.
The TSA has repeatedly claimed that the behavior detection program is grounded in valid science, but the records that the ACLU obtained show that the TSA has in its possession a significant body of research that contradicts those claims.
[1] Duplicate link in TFA.
[Ed. Note: Non mobile link here to source article here.]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday February 13 2017, @12:16AM
But it is not "just covering our ass", it's more likely to be "sending a message".
Want proof, you say? I only have anecdotes [nytimes.com].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2017, @12:37AM
I always thought that joking about a bomb in an airport was like "yelling fire" in a crowded theater -- neither is protected speech?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Zz9zZ on Monday February 13 2017, @12:51AM
That isn't a good thing to think, yelling fire is only illegal if there is no danger, joking about having a bomb should be treated similarly. If it is a joke, or they quickly claim it was a joke, either let it slide or search their bag to determine if it is a joke. Anything else is human stupidity allowing fascism to run rampant. "Report any suspicious activity" blared every 5-10 minutes is a clear indicator of the world we live in, and it sure as hell isn't a free one. Seriously TSA??? You're directing scared old people to report anyone suspicious, and we have enough examples of anyone with a turban, middle eastern descent, or even just a big beard being harassed because some idiot felt scared.
~Tilting at windmills~
(Score: 3, Interesting) by c0lo on Monday February 13 2017, @01:20AM
Except the linked anecdote shows a case in which:
1. the tweet happened 3 weeks in advance
2. the language used was so blatantly not menacing and lack of specifics (""Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America."), the authorities' reaction really smells of "sending a message" [bbc.com]
See also Twitter Joke trial [wikipedia.org] before - took two years and two High Court appeals (with celebs joining the cause) to restore a tiny bit in British (jurisprudential) common sense.
The USian authorities... mmm... still can't get British humour through their skull, eh? Or maybe they are really shitting themselves in fear inside the "home of the brave"? No?
Isn't it more likely they want to send the message of "Don't mock us, we're dam' serious. Better fear us and behave, we'll accept nothing less"?
(As undoubtedly interesting US may be as geography, people and things to see, I'm sorry guys: the above is among the reasons I resolved to not have US as a tourist destination for myself. I don't know how representative I am, but if many people think like me US may be missing some serious money. Electing Trump doesn't help either)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2017, @04:49AM
The US is no longer the home of the brave. Crime is at an all time low but you still hear people saying shit like "in these times you can never be too careful" because they've bought into the fear pumped 24/7 through the media. Maybe it isn't intentional, maybe it is. Regardless, turn off the news networks and enjoy a happier life.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday February 14 2017, @11:53AM
"We strive to achieve that balance and show the world that the United States is a welcoming nation."
Well, ... you're welcome to it.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2017, @08:50AM
They're not protected speech? According to whom? Not the first amendment. You much be referring to our treacherous courts which ignore the Constitution, but they are simply incorrect.
Anyway, telling a joke is different from someone trying to cause a panic, even if you think the latter should not be allowed.