Forgot your ID? You must be a terrorist
Joe Fay
The Register
Thursday, Aug 14, 2008
The US Transportation Security Administration has done a backflip on a policy of adding people who had forgotten their ID to its database of suspect fliers.
The scheme kicked off in June, according to USA Today, the same time the agency officially declared people could not board planes in the
At the time the TSA said it would still allow people who had misplaced, as opposed to refused to show, their ID on to planes. But there was no mention of the database.
Being added to the database, effectively meant that innocent but absent-minded fliers in the
Getting lumped in with the undesirable or just plain stupid in the virtual world is bad enough. But in the real world unlucky fliers who were slapped into the database could also expect ongoing aggravation on subsequent flights.
TSA boss Kip Hawley told USA Today that adding the “forgetful” would enable the agency to track potential terrorists who were “probing” for weak points in
However, Hawley phoned the paper back shortly afterwards and said the agency would not retain details, if subjects could convince screeners of their actual ID. Which will still be a push if you really have lost your wallet/been mugged/are plain stupid.
Hawley said names of the ID-forgetful already in the database would be expunged within the month.
However, people simply deemed to have been “acting suspiciously” and who have been questioned by airport police will remain in the database for 15 years, along with information about their travelling companions.
Deep down, the TSA still believes that being forgetful is inherently suspicious.
5 comments:
Wymzie, Since you want to be addressed as a lady, this is my new gentleman like approach to disagree with you. Anyone else still gets my creation of Archie Bunker on steriods mixed with Don Rickles:)
I still remember the planes flying into the twin towers and the guy with the shoe bomb. In my opinion, anything that deviates from the norm at airports should send up a red flag. I would have no problem with being put in a data base if I forgot I.D....But, then, I would have nothing to hide except being forgetful! Such a thing might be completely innocent 999 times; the thousandth may be a practise run to perpetrate a future terrorist attack. I think such measures are unfortunate but completely necessary!
DHS to Forgetful Flier, "Sir now turn your head and cough; this won't take but a second. We just need to know it's really you."
shit, another female patriot, interesting.
it's russia you better watch out for, i've never trusted putin. once kgb always kgb
Do you really think that the terrorist will ever use planes again in any attempt to attack us on our homeland.
These are not stupid people.
We are the stupid people to allow our liberties to evaporate before our eyes and not be able to wash our hair or paint our nails on a 5 hour flight when our toenails are glaring at us in our flip flops because we don't want to have to remove a cowboy boot at the gate.
The government has been talking aobut securing our ports since 911 and they still aren't secure.
Are borders are wide open and we don't have a clue as to who is coming in this country and who isn't.
Oh, and just for the record I don't have anything to hide either, I just don't want my name on a list that lumps me together with terrorist.
Thank you for your kind words Thomas!
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