Or the NoS could be using something akin to bluetooth. Look Ma, no wires!

Looks like I spoke too soon. I'm reading reports from passengers about chest gropes and crotch gropes caused by bras and pantyliners, for example in the comments from Elliot's blog. Great stuff. So they'll just grope those and not also your buttocks. In some circles, this would constitute progress.

On this one you and I are going to agree. Very interesting information since I dont work with the systems personally, its nice to have an insiders view. Thanks Dean (and every other contributor as well), good thread so far.
^

I am like this. TSA/TSo you have to grope my genitals , my breasts and my buttocks.
At least You should be able to pronounce the words. Dont tell me those words are offensive.
You are offensive that you cant tell me the words. And I do, I get arrested.

You are full of offensive words to me.

There's a Haiku in there smewhere...

you wanted haiku?

Like the autumn leaves
Our rights flutter to the ground
So too, our trousers.

Post of the year!

Well done. ^

BRAV!!! Methinks we need a TSA Haiku thread

OneStolen from bruce schneiers site to give credit where credit is due. It was indeed nicely done.

LOL. I laughed my but off. A truly rare thing when it comes to the TSA.

Dean, good thread. You seem like a good guy and my anger and hatred of the TSA does not apply to you.

I have a lot of anger at the TSA & their minions.
I've seen the "AIT" machines fail (false psitives) time after time.
The security theater provided by the TSA is getting more & more intrusive.

+ ne!

What if the belt can't be removed? I've seen pants that have a "belt", but, though it has loops on most of the pants, it's secured to the pants on the back. Or what if it would be the case that removal of the belt would cause the pants to fall?

The last few times I went through an ATR-AIT, I had a lot of time on my hand and put my shoes on slowly and watched the screen and these pat-downs. It sounded like you were seeing anomalies about 10-15% of the time. When I was watching (admittedly a much smaller sample), it looked closer to 40-50%. But what I found interesting is that I'd say in about half of those cases, the passenger wasn't touched at all. In most of those, the reason was clear: the anomaly was in an area of bare skin or head. But in some it was quite mystifying to me how the area could be cleared without any contact (no, it wasn't a situation of "skin tight" clothing). Can you explain this?

And I do agree that there's no way that you could have known if the machine were storing images since SSD storage is tiny and could have been anywhere: just open an access door, remove a 500GB SSD device, and you have the images. Or some wireless mechanism (less likely). That being said, I can't see a reason to store the images without recording, for each that had an anomaly, what that anomaly turned out to be. And it's clear no such record is being made.

I have a pair of North Face cargo pants with a belt that can't be removed. When this came up at the checkpoint they just did a visual inspection and waved me through. (But not without the usual IAD TSA hostility, of course..)

Dean, I'm really impressed, you've restored my faith in humanity! If only more TSA screeners would follow your example. Please keep up the good work!