Originally Posted by
SATTSO
Not really. As I understand what is happening within TSA/DHS, soon we will begin to lift SOME restrictions currently in place (I have no idea which ones), and TSA will have a major cultural shift to more of a risk-based security. This is being pushed by Pistole. Again, I don't know what is coming, but it is coming. And sorry, don't have a time frame either.
If so, once you vet a passenger, and determine they are of low risk, you can screen them at a lower level. Such an iris scan would reveal those who are vetted. Those passengers not vetted would receive more screening (more intrusive, in other words). In that sense, it could possibly replace AIT screening for those vetted passengers.
That's not what the article talks about at all. But I would really not have too much of a problem with the system, given that I've already had multiple background checks, was on the UK IRIS system & Clear, and currently have Global Entry. That's in addition to stuff for employer and whatever our clients require.
This could be done fairly expeditiously & substantially lower the burden for low-risk folks.
Once again the ACLU has it wrong. If only they would oppose the strip-search machines & invasive pat-downs as they do for this.
Originally Posted by
jspira
And I would sing along side you
All kidding aside, the U.S. government already has a trusted traveler program in place, Global Entry. It would be easy enough to do a test run by using Global Entry kiosks at a few test airports, perhaps with a few tweaks?
As an aside to
SATTSO, I wanted to let you know that I appreciate the fact that you actively participate here despite some unpleasant feedback. I find many of your posts interesting and informative.
Ditto to both.
There's a third reason as well. According to published reports, TSA says that it still would randomly select travelers in the "trusted traveler" line and direct them to the more intense screening line. So, even though you'd have paid for the background check, had your biometric info taken, and bared your entire history to the government, you still might have to go through the NoS and/or patdowns.
So, why would I sign up for such a "wonderful" program? It's a bit similar to the "gate security check" that TSA runs at boarding gates. I call it the "We really don't trust our regular screening process, so we come to the gate to do another screening so that we feel better about what we do" process.
And it's no different than Global Entry. GE is well worth it, and plenty of folks sing it's praise. But it does have the chance for random selection for an invasive search.
As long as TSA implements it properly and doesn't do "random" selections at the whim of screeners (e.g. used as some kind of retaliation or just because a woman is "pretty"), then I don't see much difference between such a proposal and GE. Frankly, the bigger concern to me is that it's done administratively instead of Congress legislating that it be done.