Originally Posted by
Cartoon Peril
Then why did the contract specify the ability to save and transmit images, including a USB port?
Not sure I understand your point. There is NO visible USB port on the computer. My point is that there are general facts about computers that understandably raise concerns about a TSO's ability to download images. I believe TSA has done everything possible to eliminate the possibility.
Originally Posted by
Cartoon Peril
What is the assurance this is not being done remotely for every scan? Again, the contract required that the machines be able to transmit the images.
As with any computer system, there will be instances when either periodic maintenance is required or repairs will be needed. Computer techs will have to be able to access the hard drive in order to perform maintenance/repairs. So I suppose that the basic computer functions haven't changed but TSO access to the hard drive has.
And I'm curious why you insist that the machines are required to transmit images. Could you explain that one a little further?
Originally Posted by
Cartoon Peril
Pshaw. There are also rules, strict ones I presume, against stealing from passengers, helping drug dealers bypass security, bypassing security on personal business while wearing a TSA uniform. Yet all these have happened.
Thieves are terminated from TSA and prosecuted by the law. As for smuggling drugs, please cite specific instances involving TSOs who were not prosecuted by the law. And as for bypassing security while on personal business, again, please cite specific instances. I'll grant you that there have been TSOs who have stolen items from passengers' luggage. Employee theft is a challenge under any enterprise. However, I don't know of any instance when an employee who stole was immune from prosecution and/or termination. Furthermore, federal employees who are terminated for cause forfeit any rights to be rehired by the federal government. These matters are simply the kiss of death for TSOs. So I'm pretty curious how you can insist that TSOs can get away with theft, smuggling drugs and bypassing security without any fear of prosecution or adverse consequence.
Originally Posted by
Cartoon Peril
TSA has no security against analog attack other than a promise by the TSO in the box. This could be improved. Frisk whoever's in the box before they go into the box. Give them the "enhanced pat down", same as the passengers. Run who's ever in the box through the WMTD and the Junkatron before entering the box. And do the same thing all over again when they come out of the box.
This is no more unreasonable that what TSA is doing to passengers every day.
OK, good discussion until this point. But I'll grant you the shot at comic relief.
Originally Posted by
Cartoon Peril
What can be saved temporarily can be saved permanently. What can be saved permanently OR temporarily can be viewed so long as it is saved.
You would think so. However, this is apparently not the case. I'm not a computer tech, but I do know that the x-ray machines only store a certain number of images before they can no longer be retrieved/recalled. I guess some computer geek could probably explain with a great deal of expertise how "deleted images" aren't truly deleted, but until I see some TSO dismantling an x-ray computer or connecting laptops or other devices to the x-ray computer to transfer data, I can't give in to your paranoia.
Originally Posted by
Cartoon Peril
In other words, they are training on the job.
There's no "in other words". Someone posted that images are retrieved for training purposes, and I wanted to clarify that these are images of TSA employees who agreed to be scanned in order have a baseline for operators to train with. These are images that are viewed repeatedly and are not newly installed images that are somehow downloaded from recently scanned passengers. I'm guessing that they're TSA employees only because you can see the outline of their epaulets on a great number of images, and because it makes sense to use employees for training images.