Plane-side TSA searches aren't worth the trouble
USA Today
April 8, 2009
Opinion-Editorial By Fred H. Cate, distinguished professor and director of the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research at Indiana University
Just when air travelers thought they were free of overly aggressive airport security checks, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently announced new plans to increase searches of passengers and their carry-on luggage at the gate. Searches during the boarding process were tried after 9/11 but abandoned in 2003. Why? Airlines and passengers complained vociferously about delayed flights, the embarrassment at having luggage opened, and being wanded or patted down plane-side while other passengers filed past. And then there was the final indignity: being allowed to board only to discover that overhead bin space was full. So why now? Why again? According to the TSA, the renewed policy is not the result of any specific threat, but rather just another layer of security. The idea, transportation security experts speculate, is to keep potential terrorists guessing.
Read the entire op-ed online.
Learn more about the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research at Indiana University
