gingersnaps

Former TSA Administrator, Kip Hawley, provides thoughtful insight on the vulnerabilities of TSA Precheck.

"The scary truth about TSA's PreCheck security vulnerabilities"

"PreCheck, however, is fundamentally flawed. It’s a security hologram — it looks plausible, it’s pleasing to the eye, but its protective value is illusory."

"PreCheck’s “intelligence-driven, risk-based security strategy” is absurd on its face: The absence of negative information about a person doesn’t mean he or she is trustworthy. News reports are filled with stories of people who seemed to be perfectly normal right up to the moment they committed a heinous act. There is no screening algorithm and no database check that can accurately predict human behavior — especially on the scale of millions. It is axiomatic that terrorist organizations recruit operatives who have clean backgrounds and interview well."

Based on Hawleys remarks, it appears that TSA Precheck operates on the premise that "absence of evidence is evidence of absence".

Boggie Dog

Just think how many times Kippy was called an idiot on this blog. He actually has this right.

Carl Johnson

I disagree, and I would disagree more if they did "managed inclusion" or just "inclusion" until the Übermenschen lanes are running to capacity. Anything that gets people through the checkpoint faster improves safety. Another improvement that would even further advance safety is to end the War on Water.

I think that not only does Hawley not have anything useful to say about aviation security, the affirmation by him of a true statement makes that statement false.

Yoshi212

The absence of negative information about a person should not make that person subject to a full body scan or freedom grope.

Precheck treatment should be a standard procedure and scanners for anyone that triggers and a real random selection.

gingersnaps

What is your explanation that "faster improves safety"?

pa3lsvt

Checkpoints, congested with pax, are excellent soft targets.

The primary assumption needed to accept his statement is that WTMD/shoes on/no removal of liquids or laptops is somehow insecure. I reject that assumption.

FliesWay2Much

We used to write "Kip Hawley is an idiot." For a reason....

Zorak

Reply from Bruce Schneier: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archiv..._risks_12.html

maniac78

The whole thing is a security hologram. Pre check is the only sane thing about the system. At least you can bypass most of the screening garbage.