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from the come-fly-the-discriminatory-skies dept.
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: 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~