Originally Posted by
Trollkiller
I will need to fly soon, unfortunately it is a short turn around trip so I can't risk fighting about IDs. I feel bad about that and one of my co-workers has already guilt tripped me about it.
Instead I figured I would have a bit of fun with the TSOs or "provoke" them if you will.
Can you explain your inability to "fight about IDs" on this trip? If by fighting about them you mean politely declining to present any proof of identity, and if what you're worried about is the possibility of making the wrong people angry and ending up in jail, then might most of the other suggestions discussed in this thread carry the same risk?
Do you plan to carry a camera in a visible manner to keep people on their best behavior? Have you considered wearing an inconspicuous camera to document your experience without raising the hackles of those who think you're not allowed to film at the checkpoint? I looked into such devices recently and found that there are several options available for less than $50. Skipping the pen cameras and key fob cameras, I bought these three to try them out:
one looks like a bluetooth headset,
one fits in a pack of gum (or could be clipped on your pocket with a nondescript black bar sticking up), and
one is an MP3 player that also has a camera in it. Each takes stills or video. The first two have 2 GB memory and are expandable using micro-SD cards, and the MP3 player has no on-board memory, using only a micro-SD card. I bought a 2 GB card on sale for $10.
I particularly like the MP3 player. Mine cost $25 delivered from Hong Kong and took about a week to arrive, but you can probably find U.S. sellers, get it sooner, and likley pay a small premium for the convenience. Even under close inspection, it's unlikely that anyone would guess that it was anything more than an MP3 player unless he was familiar with this model and looking for the pinhole lens. All the markings are those you'd expect to see on an MP3 player -- no "record" or "video" printed on it. To get your recordings off it, you either plug it in to a computer using the included cable (works like any USB mass storage device, i.e., like a USB flash drive), or just pull out the card and read it on your computer like you would any other micro-SD card (USB adapter, full-size-SD adapter, etc.)
The instructions are all poorly translated, and the user interfaces are functional but not intuitive. The MP3 player's is reasonably simple: hold the play button to turn it on, press volume up to start and stop recording.
You'd be wise to consider the laws of any state in which you might use such a camera. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press provides a "
Practical Guide to Taping Phone Calls and In-Person Conversations in the 50 States and D.C" which states:
Federal law allows recording of phone calls and other electronic communications with the consent of at least one party to the call. A majority of the states and territories have adopted wiretapping statutes based on the federal law, although most also have extended the law to cover in-person conversations. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia permit individuals to record conversations to which they are a party without informing the other parties that they are doing so. These laws are referred to as “one-party consent” statutes, and as long as you are a party to the conversation, it is legal for you to record it. (Nevada also has a one-party consent statute, but the state Supreme Court has interpreted it as an all-party rule.)
Twelve states require, under most circumstances, the consent of all parties to a conversation. Those jurisdictions are California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. Be aware that you will sometimes hear these referred to inaccurately as “two-party consent” laws. If there are more than two people involved in the conversation, all must consent to the taping.
Regardless of the state, it is almost always illegal to record a conversation to which you are not a party, do not have consent to tape, and could not naturally overhear.
Federal law and most state laws also make it illegal to disclose the contents of an illegally intercepted call or communication.
At least 24 states have laws outlawing certain uses of hidden cameras in private places, although many of the laws are specifically limited to attempts to record nudity. Also, many of the statutes concern unattended hidden cameras, not cameras hidden on a person engaged in a conversation. Journalists should be aware, however, that the audio portion of a videotape will be treated under the regular wiretapping laws in any state. And regardless of whether a state has a criminal law regarding cameras, undercover recording in a private place can prompt civil lawsuits for invasion of privacy.
See RCFP's
state-by-state guide for more details. I don't know if a camera that is positioned right out where everyone can see it, but that doesn't have the appearance that most people associate with cameras, is considered a "hidden camera".
I wonder if others would be interested in assembling an archive of video of our TSA staff doing the jobs we pay them to do. Sticking with TSA's retail metaphor (they refer to us as their "customers" although we don't purchase anything from them and we're really their employers), participants would be "secret shoppers". We could provide valuable feedback to TSA.