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more on DO READ THIS DJF -- Aggressive Searches Pat-down Searches/Sexual Harassment at the Airport
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2004 15:11:43 -0500
------ Forwarded Message From: Barry Steinhardt <bsteinhardt () aclu org> Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2004 12:09:01 -0500 To: Esther Dyson <edyson () edventure com> Cc: <dave () farber net> Subject: Re: [IP] DO READ THIS DJF -- Aggressive Searches Pat-down Searches/Sexual Harassment at the Airport Esther, Happy New Year! We met with the TSA last week and astoundingly they have no statistics on how many searches have been conducted at each airport or what the ratio is between men and women. They did tell us that the TSA screeners had been told to pick out passengers with an "unnatural physical form" -- a judgement that seems to be entirely idiosyncratic, albeit skewed to women as the screeners seem particularly focused on breasts. We have logged a hundred + complaints from flyers around the country. The TSA admitted last week that they have received 400. All of ours, so far, have been from women, who range in age from 23 to 93. Many of them are business travellers, who report repeated instances of "groping" --the most frequent word we hear. My 16 year daughter having read all the news accounts is now refusing to fly anywhere for vacation. Apparently she is not the only woman to have made that judgement and the airlines are not happy either. Please do let me know if you have any troubling experiences. Best regards, Barry At 10:33 AM 12/25/2004, Esther Dyson wrote:
Hi Barry - I wonder if anyone (outside the TSA) has looked at these stats by airport.... FWIW - I travel a lot and I really hate this whole system, but I haven't encountered anyone doing more or less than following the orders they were given. (Rest assured I'll let you know if I do!) My problem is with the orders... aside from that, happy holidays! Esther At 09:47 AM 12/25/2004, you wrote:------ Forwarded Message From: Barry Steinhardt <bsteinhardt () aclu org> Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2004 09:42:59 -0500 To: <dave () farber net> Subject: Aggressive Searches Pat-down Searches/Sexual Harassment at the Airport Dave, A September 2004 TSA directive granting airport security screeners broad leeway to conduct "pat-down" searches has led to numerous reports of sexual harassment and abuse. Victims -- particularly women-- are reporting that they are not being offered private searches or searches by screeners of the same sex, and that "private" searches are being conducted behind screens that provide no privacy. Passengers are reporting rough, rude, and humiliating manhandling and groping of their breasts and crotch areas, demeaning sexual comments, and being forced to remove business jackets in full view of crowds, despite the fact that it is a widespread convention in our society for women to wear only bras or other undergarments underneath such jackets. The ACLU is assessing possible responses to this policy. In doing so, it is extremely helpful for us to gain a sense of the kinds of abuses that are taking place. If list members have experienced a problem with pat-down searches at airport security, they can help us end this problem by reporting their story at: https://www.aclu.org/Feedback/Feedback.cfm?R=58<https://www.aclu.org/Feedback/Feedback.cfm?R=58>For more information on the abuses, IP members might want to look at http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=17104&c=39<http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=17104&c=39> , where we havecollected many of the news stories. All the best on the new year, Barry Steinhardt Director Technology and Liberty Project American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) www.aclu.org <http://www.aclu.org/> ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as edyson () edventure com To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/Esther Dyson Always make new mistakes! Editor, Release 1.0 CNET Networks - www.cnet.com <http://www.cnet.com/> 104 Fifth Avenue (at 16th Street) New York, NY 10011 USA +1 (212) 924-8800 www.release1-0.com <http://www.release1-0.com/> current status (with pictures!) at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edyson/
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