"Airport security doesn't come via obscurity. Transparency -- an anathema to the TSA -- is a must for accountability and systematic performance improvements in aviation security. This is something that the TSA and the unnecessarily paranoid talking heads on TV don't get."
Wow, GUWonder, that was beautifully written. I do not believe in mystique-based security.
The SOP document didn't really contain anything earth-shattering. In fact, I think we pretty much knew most of what was written in there. But the idea that the TSA is so inept with document security highlights their failures as an organization.
The SOP also deflates the TSA's frequent arrogance about "sensitive" information. During confrontations, TSA staff have often pointed to "secret" knowledge, as if they operate in a precise, data and evidence driven environment.
I'm pleased with any bad press about the TSA, and they're getting plenty of it. This is all happening around the holidays, when more people are exposed to the frustrating nature of screening, and may help dig a greater hole for the TSA in the court of public opinion.
What troubles me is that the TSA might respond by making screening even more onerous. They may want to try to veil their incompetence by even more pointless ID inspections, overzealous inspection of prostheses, etc.