IP: Airport Security Hypocrisy (LAX Terminals Evacuated)

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 09:06:38 -0800
To: farber () cis upenn edu
Cc: lauren () pfir org
Subject: Airport Security Hypocrisy (LAX Terminals Evacuated)

> L.A. Airport Terminals Evacuated
> LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The discovery of an unplugged metal detector forced the
> evacuation of at least four terminals at Los Angeles International Airport
> early Thursday and delayed several flights, authorities said.

When I go through an airport magnetometer, the iron in my blood seems to
be sufficient to trigger the alarms.  How a detector could be left unplugged
for any length of time at a busy portal without anybody noticing the lack of
"hits" for hours seems remarkable in the extreme.

But it's time again to look squarely at the immense hypocrisy that's obvious
in the airport security system.  As has been pointed out previously
("Peering
Into Airport Security" - http://www.vortex.com/reality/2001-12-24), security
experts know damn well that much of airport security procedures are a sham.
They're there to look good -- to convince people it's secure to fly,
regardless of underlying intractable realities.  Nail clipper files and
hairclips are confiscated, while pens, keys, and all manner of other devices
that can much more effectively be used as weapons (not to mention flammable
materials and "undetectable" explosives in carry-on luggage) go on-board
as usual.  

Incidents of terminals being cleared out for hours due to metal detector
malfunctions are becoming almost daily events.  These massive evacuations
are conducted even in the absence of any threat or indication that a "bad
guy" just happened to be in the right place at the right time to take
advantage of such an incident -- clearly a low probability in the extreme.

Meanwhile, we're faced with new reports that the new airport bag scanning
systems being installed with great fanfare (and expense) are proving to be
easily foiled by undercover teams, simulating terrorists to test airport
security (Bag Scanning System Called Easily Foiled -
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000015266feb28.story).

If the same "logic" being applied to random metal detector malfunctions were
applied in the wake of such reports, we clearly would be prohibiting *all*
commercial airline flights.

Public Relations or Security?  If it all weren't so deadly serious,
it would almost be funny.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () privacyforum org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, Fact Squad - http://www.factsquad.org
Co-Founder, URIICA - Union for Representative International Internet
                     Cooperation and Analysis - http://www.uriica.org
Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy


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