If you thought airport security was strict enough, you may not be happy the next time you have to hop on a plane. The Transportation Security Agency (T.S.A) recently unveiled its plans to tighten airport security in the future. The screening process for passengers can now begin hours before you board the flight. No, the agency won’t be giving you a pat-down when you board the airport shuttle. However, it will be equipped to access a wide range of personal data about each and every passenger. Based on this data, the T.S.A. will determine which passengers will undergo the most rigorous screening, and which will be able to go through with minimal checks.
Faster Security
To justify the new policy, which is being called Secure Flight, the T.S.A. said it hopes to provide faster, easier security checks. Passengers considered to be low risk will even be able to leave their jacket and shoes on, and won’t have to remove their computers from their carry-on bags. This will hopefully allow many people to travel in greater ease and comfort. Within the next year, the T.S.A. hopes approximately 25% of passengers will be subject to lighter security.
The move towards personalized security is a response to criticism that policies were too one-size-fits-all post-9-11. In recent years, almost everyone, including infants and the elderly, has been subjected to the same rigorous screening. By some reports, the T.S.A. has even treated diapers as objects of suspicion. Many have thought these policies were unnecessary and even cruel.
Mountains of Data
The T.S.A. will pull data from government databases and flight records. It will be able to access everything from passport number and travel history to criminal records and employment data. The agency will have much of the same information as the department of Homeland Security does. The staff will know if you were convicted of a crime or recently had to travel to across the country for biofeedback therapy. Some are wondering what the T.S.A. plans to do with this data and how it will evaluate passengers. Many are also skeptical about whether an algorithm can actually predict terrorism.
Privacy Concerns
Some are questioning whether the T.S.A. has the legal authority to make judgments about who may be a potential terrorist just based on personal data. While it is true that people are perhaps more likely to be terrorists if they’re of Middle Eastern descent, does the Middle Eastern population at large deserve to be treated like criminals? Could the T.S.A. policies even be called racist?
This county was founded on the idea that you are innocent until proven guilty. If, however, the T.S.A.’s algorithm thinks you may be a terrorist, you could be treated more like you’re guilty until proven innocent. Already, some innocent individuals are targeted by the T.S.A. Some people are flagged as suspicious or high-risk even when they’re frequent fliers, and have to go through brutal checks in which their luggage is searched piecemeal. However, you could argue that in a post-9-11 world, no one can truly have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
Security Concerns
Others are concerned that Secure Flight program may actually make airports less secure. As mentioned above, the policy will permit some people to pass through security with only a minimal screening. This could allow some people to slip through the cracks. Caucasians who have never left the country can still be mass murderers, after all. Perhaps suspecting every person in the airport really is the safest way to operate.