I enjoy the banter and the suggestions, some of which are sarcastic and some which are serious. But, may I ask for a moment of seriousness, and then we can get back to making the deserved fun of this program?
What legal liability do I incur by not telling them the truth? As a government actor, and if things should occur that place me within an investigation, would my answers to the TDC be considered "lying to a federal officer" or some such crime?
However, if I do not answer the questions, I may imperil my ability to fly that day. So this government actor has the potential to affect my time and cost because I have a potential of legal liability if I do not answer the question. It may be a very small risk of legal liability but a risk nonetheless
So, in the end, they compel a truthful answer at the threat of either a potential legal liability for an untruthful answer or the loss of time and money for no answer.
Finally, the release of my travel plans to person of unknown reliability creates a third potential liability, discussed in detail already.
Therefore, all three possibilities carry risk for the passenger and none for the government. I also suspect that this would survive legal scrutiny, however unfair it may feel. The only fix is no questions, which does not appear to be going to happen.
So what do we do?
Right now I am leaning towards silence at my home airport where I can effectively participate in legal action if denied boarding and lying if I am somewhere else and trying to get home.
How's that for being forced to make a difficult choice for no good reason?