Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate - Aviation News Today:TSA delays purchase of 1400 Boarding Pass Scanners ($150,000,000)

Aviation News Now is reporting that TSA has delayed its purchase of more boarding pass scanners:

Aviation News Now:
House Panel Questions Planned TSA Purchase
Jun 19, 2012 05:43 PM (http://www.aviationnews.net/?do=headline&news_ID=206757)

A short quote:

The House transportation security subcommittee heard testimony Tuesday on TSA's planned procurement of the Credential Authentication Technology/Boarding Pass Scanning System (CAT/BPSS), including what requirements, cost-benefits, and operational challenges are associated with the technology and its purchase.

The CAT/BPSS technology is intended to match and verify the authenticity of passenger IDs and boarding passes, and TSA had planned to purchase approximately 1,400 CAT/BPSS units. However, late last week TSA announced that the procurement of the CAT/BPSS has been postponed until 2013.

It appears that Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) questions about CAT/BPSS caused the purchase to be postponed.

Just a note, our congressman Mike Rogers is from Brighton, MI. Not expressing any opinion on your article.

Just a note, our congressman Mike Rogers is from Brighton, MI. Not expressing any opinion on your article.

This is a different Mike Rogers. There's at least 2 in Congress.

This is a different Mike Rogers. There's at least 2 in Congress.

Oh, yes. There is lots name. It's just a different people name.

At least they are finally scrutinizing the TSA's spending whims, albeit almost a decade late.

At least they are finally scrutinizing the TSA's spending whims, albeit almost a decade late.

We shall see. It looks like Mr. Rogers is pointed in the right direction, but that's a long way from TSA making sound decisions, anything that resembles independent review, or Congress exercising any real oversight.

[the system is supposed to] verify the authenticity of passenger IDs and boarding passes

Really?!?! I doubt this system does anything more than check to see if the boarding pass is current and whether or not the printed name on the BP is the same as the one in the airlines database. I seriously doubt that it will even do this one thing well.

Does anyone actually think the TSA could integrate with every ID-issuing agency (most are States) to verify the authenticity of the ID itself? I doubt they can do this at all. It's ludicrous to thing they could do this effectively. :rolleyes:

And even after they spend $150 million---which I'm sure doesn't really include all life-cycle costs like installation, increase in operational labor, training, integrating with every ID-issuing organization in the world, implementing alternate approaches when the system doesn't work, fending off ACLU lawsuits, the added cost/time for travelers (particularly when this doesn't work), false positives on the no fly list, etc.---they will have a system that can be defeated by anyone smart enough to get a driver's license (or use an ID that's not integrated, or use no ID at all, or go to an airport w/o the system, or bribe a clerk, etc., etc., etc.). What a colossal waste of $$$ (and another small tilting of the slippery slope downward). :mad:

Wouldn't it be nice if TSA's proposal for this was made public for everyone to comment on its accuracy and completeness. @:-) They can redact the parts about vulnerabilities. We already know them already. :D

I am assuming this is the MorphoTrust deal we discussed in an earlier thread?

We shall see. It looks like Mr. Rogers is pointed in the right direction, but that's a long way from TSA making sound decisions, anything that resembles independent review, or Congress exercising any real oversight.
+1000
My hotel's wireless dropped out while I was typing much the same thing. Scrutiny is fine, but actually saying "no, you can't spend money on that" would be far better.

At least they are finally scrutinizing the TSA's spending whims, albeit almost a decade late.

Budget cuts have a way of encouraging this. I'd look for a lot more of this, post-election.

Some additional coverage of this:

The Daily:
Identity crisis - New TSA program to sniff out fake IDs a waste of time and money: lawmakers
By Myles N. Miller
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 (http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/06/20/062012-news-tsa-fake-ids-1-2/)

A short quote:

As TSA attempts to rebrand itself as a threat-driven agency, [the automated screening system] sticks out like a sore thumb,” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the House Committee on Homeland Security’s transportation security subcommittee chairman, said at a hearing on the technology.

An investigation by The Daily in April found a major loophole in the Department of Homeland Security’s identification screening process. With just a few clicks of a mouse and a transfer of cash, anyone willing to skirt the law can obtain counterfeit driver’s licenses, which experts say can get anyone right past security and onto an airplane.

“Unless it can do some things like reduce the number of people we need, and maybe ping off some threat list of potential terrorists, then why would we spend the money?” Rogers told The Daily


Also, FWIW, the Fox affiliate in Philadelphia ran a story based upon The Daily's reporting:


My Fox Philly:
New TSA program to sniff out fake IDs a waste of money, lawmakers say
Posted: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 12:55 PM EST
Updated: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 12:55 PM EST (http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/18836563/new-tsa-program-to-sniff-out-fake-ids-a-waste-of-money-lawmakers-say)

Knowing the TSA, I'm surprised they didn't go ahead and spend money on something that isn't needed or actually works. It hasn't stopped them before. Maybe the right people aren't making money off of these scanners.

I was looking forward to the new stories about people not being allowed through security because the scanner incorrectly said their BP or ID was fake. Although these machines may be programmed to correctly recognize NEXUS cards and that's something humans seem to have a problem doing.

So, can we say that, thanks to Mr. Rogers, it's a little bit more of a beautiful day in the neighborhood?

Mike

...
An investigation by The Daily in April found a major loophole in the Department of Homeland Security’s identification screening process. With just a few clicks of a mouse and a transfer of cash, anyone willing to skirt the law can obtain counterfeit driver’s licenses, which experts say can get anyone right past security and onto an airplane...


Hmmm... where have I heard that before.

And even after they spend $150 million... ...they will have a system that can be defeated by anyone smart enough to get a driver's license

I think everyone is missing a key fact here. We're trying to keep WEI off planes, not fakes IDs (and not cupcakes, and not breast milk, and not......).

I think everyone is missing a key fact here. We're trying to keep WEI off planes, not fakes IDs (and not cupcakes, and not breast milk, and not......).

The TSA is interested in keeping items off planes if publicity regarding aforementioned items could potentially lead to a budget increase for next year.

Mike

Does anyone actually think the TSA could integrate with every ID-issuing agency (most are States) to verify the authenticity of the ID itself? I doubt they can do this at all. It's ludicrous to thing they could do this effectively. :rolleyes:

The technology is currently in use daily all over the country. They aret checking the ID for the security features each ID has, which does not require they to integrate with anybody. They are not validating the name, number, etc. All it requires is a file of ID security features to be done on a regular basis and uploaded.

First it was to cost $35M or $25k each
Latest cost $150000000 or $107k each.

Seems like a lot of money to tell the clerk the nexis card is legit.
Will they check the TSA website for validity or is the website going to be still out of date?

Glad someone is watching them. $150,000,000 here, $150,000,000 there and pretty soon, they'll be spending real money!

The technology is currently in use daily all over the country. They aret checking the ID for the security features each ID has, which does not require they to integrate with anybody. They are not validating the name, number, etc. All it requires is a file of ID security features to be done on a regular basis and uploaded.

If this system only scans the ID to see if it's authentic, then I agree with you. That can be done with a comparative local database (but only for the IDs they have in the database).

This is not what I've interpreted TSA to mean when they say "verify" a person's ID (implying it's the person's identify being verified [further implying it's being verify against something] rather than the authenticity of the ID card thing).

If what your suggesting is the case, the idea of spending $150M to catch amateur fake ID makers is even more stupid than I thought.

It's trivial to fake a different document and then get a real driver's license. Suppose a different person looks like the guy on an ID? Simply checking the ID to see if it is real isn't verifying anything.

I see fingerprint scanners in our future. :mad: