It’s unfortunate that the only truly practical form of transportation within California is the automobile. Los Angeles to San Francisco takes around eight hours by car (if you avoid peak traffic hours). That’s not much longer than flying, which might work out to five or six hours “door to door,” and it avoids all the hassles of airlines, airports (especially user-hostile LAX), and of course the TSA. Amtrak takes twelve hours, when it’s on schedule.

But evidently that’s not good enough for the TSA. They want to spend millions of dollars to strip search everyone who is guilty of wanting to fly, while increasing the risk of identity theft. Yes, there is at least a theoretical security benefit to strip searching everyone. But is it worth the price? That’s why Congress should publicly debate the cost-benefit analysis and make public rules for its use, rather than letting the TSA’s unaccountable bureaucrats do that in secret. But that’s not good enough for the TSA.

The real problem is that the scanning procedure makes no provision for allowing passengers to maintain control over their wallets. It thus thus exposes them to serious risk of identity theft, in addition to all the hassles of stolen credit cards. It also makes it impossible to wear a “security pouch” under clothing, which is often recommended to secure cash and identity papers.

Currently, a passenger can walk through the metal detector with a wallet and passport securely in a pocket or security pouch, as long as everything containing metal is removed. The virtual strip search doesn’t allow that. That all has to be “divested” so that the impeccably trustworthy officers hidden away in their remote viewing stations (to protect our privacy) have an unobstructed view. A wallet placed in a bin is dangerously vulnerable to theft, and the possibility that a carry-on bag contains a “divested” wallet or passport makes it that much more valuable to thieves.

The TSA has confirmed on their blog that the (secret) operating procedures for full body scanning make no provision for allowing passengers to have continuous sight of their belongings during the strip search. One of the bloggers recommended politely ask a screener to help maintain visual contact with belongings. But like everything else about the TSA, whether that request is granted is entirely at the whim of the screener, since they’re not accountable for anything. There is no obligation for anyone in the TSA to help passengers protect their belongings.

The needless risk of serious consequences from the loss of a wallet or passport built in to the scanning procedure is the real showstopper here. It’s clear that none of the “security experts” who are intent on strip searching all passengers thought of that problem. That’s enough reason to put a halt to the deployment, at least until the TSA figures out a way to protect passengers from the threat of theft and identity theft that it currently creates.

I suspect that the TSA will continue its current approach of ignoring the problem until someone actually has a wallet stolen at a checkpoint during a full body scan. Then they’ll react in their usual fashion of blaming the passenger and denying all responsibility.

I am not remotely worried about some TSA employee guessing that shadowy figure on their screen is me. (Note to self–keep going to the gym. . .)

This, of course, is separate from the issue of whether TSA oversteps its authority. Yes, they seem to account to no one.

What they BARK AT YOU doesnt keep you safe? Firstly, if you treat other people with respect, you usually get it returned. 99% of all TSA agents I have come in contact with are courteous and just want to assist you through the process (your words, hassles).
They BARK (instruct loudly) for everyone to remove your computer from it’s case. I’m thinking it allows a better computer scan of your internal parts which allows the screener to better identify possible threats like plastic explosives (Semtex) inside.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_103

Remove shoes: Self explanatory. Richard Reid. Had he simply done this in the lavatory by removing the smoke detector, things may of turned out catastrophic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Reid_(shoe_bomber)

Found in his shoe: Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN, also known as corpent, pentrite, or rarely and primarily in German as nitropenta or pentrit)[1], is one of the most powerful high explosives known, with a relative effectiveness factor (R.E. factor) of 1.66.

Removal of winter coats: Allows the TSA agents to visually access each individual who may have found a way to conceal a weapon or explosive device. I know a F/A who was on a hijacked flight in the early 80’s. The Hijacker brought on a plastic flare GUN. Did that make it through security?????? Huh?

I go through security on a weekly basis. I find your comments abit of an exaggeration.

Get in line. show ID and Ticket.
Get in line. Get a tub and remove metal items, liquids in bin and shoes. Push Rollaboard through machine.
Go through Metal Detector.
Collect personal belongings.

THE OUTRAGE.