Forbes reporter prohibited from filming wife's patdown
REALLY good article:
http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenber...l-not-so-fast/
Her frisker was very polite and the procedure was barely invasive, if a bit more aggressive than in the past. But while she was being systematically searched from head to toe, I pulled out my BlackBerry to take some pictures and record a souvenir of the Great Gropefest of 2010. Within seconds I was being shouted at sternly by another TSA agent, who told me that “either you stop taking pictures, or I take your camera.” When I asked him why I couldn’t take photos of my wife in a public place, he said that it was “against the rules.”
The right to photography at TSA checkpoints matters: I was mostly hoping to show my wife her ridiculous facial expressions as she received “love pats” from a stranger. Others might hope to document real TSA abuses, or point out dangerous vulnerabilities in its security measures.
If the TSA believes there’s a good reason to prevent photography at checkpoints–an important check on agents’ power, and one that’s increasingly relevant as procedures cut closer to the line of what passengers will tolerate–perhaps it should create rules to that effect. Giving discretion to TSA agents themselves is a perfect way to make sure that the most abusive agents have the power to go about their groping without pesky repercussions.