Originally Posted by
SMF TSO
Is "SSSS" printed on your boarding pass? If so, the airline is referring you for additional screening and TSA has no say in it.
Except that the only time an airline is SSSS'ing people is when the name matches an entry on the no-fly list that the TSA controls or when some other criteria is met on a TSA-issued list. The TSA cannot absolve themselves from the pre-printed SSSS just by stating that the airline chose the person. The airlines don't go out of their way to identify people for screening; they only do what they are told by the TSA on that front.