Reporter looking for tips on getting through security with dignity intact
 

Hello all. I'm a technology and security reporter with Forbes, working on a kind of "how-to" story that collects tips for fliers regarding airport security ahead of the holidays. I'm hoping to hear any of your ideas for how fliers can get through airport checkpoints with the least embarrassment or inconvenience, even if they wish to opt out of the full body scans.

I'd appreciate any tricks or suggestions you all have picked up in your travels. Please feel free to DM me or email me at agreenberg (at) forbes.com.

Thanks for your help and look forward to seeing your ideas,

Andy Greenberg
Technology Staff Writer
Forbes Magazine and Forbes.com

I really believe that this is impossible, especially for those who opt out. The TSA is determined to humiliate such people -- and it's in a position to succeed. It would be far better for Forbes to encourage some long overdue reining in of the TSA, rather than figuring out how we can get past the machine with minimal damage.

Bruce

Andy, welcome to FT.

I think the most important thing for flyers to know is that there are rules, rights, and procedures in place, and the TSA is not an omnipotent entity that may do anything it pleases. The problem is that the TSA does not often act as though it has rules, and so a flyer must often assert them (a difficult thing for occasional flyers to do).

I am a weekly flyer, and I always choose to opt out of the AIT scanner when asked to pass through it. About half the time I am told I am not allowed to do that, or that it is faster just to go through, or that I am silly for opting out.

As we all know by now, the other "choice" is to receive a pat down (something that anyone who produces an anomaly in the scan will get anyway). This pat down is also invasive and undignified. I always begin by instructing the officer to retrieve my belongings from the x-ray so that they remain within my control. In addition, I instruct the officer that I am uncomfortable with this procedure and that he needs to inform me before he proceeds to touch any areas that are sensitive. In addition, I inform him that my spouse or traveling partner will be acting as a witness to the procedure. If traveling alone, I ask that a witness be brought to observe (some people ask for a police officer, but I am not particular).

I think doing these things establishes to the screener that they are simply performing a job that has rules, and they are not doing me a favor by letting me pass. A witness also reminds them they are accountable to the rules. Finally, by having belongings brought to you, you are reducing the risk of theft of tampering.

Good luck with the article.

Tell them you're a Forbes reporter and you're writing a story about this.

That will get YOU through security with your dignity intact.

The rest of us will have to roll the dice on which TSA agent we get to give us the freedom fondle, and whether that person has any sense of decency and love for his country.

...or a Member of Congress. Ordinary folks like us don't have such tools at our disposal. We suffer these indignities with little recourse. And many of us are sick to death of it -- and of the TSA, in general.

Bruce

Avoid body scanners. They can only process 1-2 people per minute at full speed, and many people that go through them still end up getting some type of rubdown afterward.

Most checkpoints route people to the Walk Through Metal Detector while the scanner is in use. Try to either get in a line that doesn't lead to a body scanner or stall/wait until someone gets sent to the scanner before putting your carry-on through xray and proceeding to the WTMD. It's unlikely that you'll receive any grope after going through the WTMD unless it alarms or you're "randomly" selected.

Take the car instead.

The TSA motto is, 'those who are about to fly, place all dignity in the tray, along with your 4th amendment rights, you can retrieve them when you leave the USA'

Andy, the best research you could do for your article is to take a female companion in a skirt, and, if possible, a companion in a wheelchair, and travel around a bit. Opt-out if you are selected. Pay attention to how well you are able to monitor your belongings. Pay attention to how often your female companion (in a skirt) is selected for NoS, particularly if the two of you don't converse so that she seems to be travelling alone. Let your wheelchair pax appear to be travelling alone. Observe how well the wheelchair pax is able to monitor his/her bags. Keep track of how smoothly things run. See how easy it is (or isn't) to avoid the NoS. See how easy it is (or isn't) to get TSA to allow you to keep your belongings in sight at all times.

Make sure you and your travel companions go through several airports, large and small.

This should give you reasonable first hand data to use in your article. Draw your own conclusions and make your own recommendations based on what you and your travel companions experience. Your article will carry a lot more weight if you have first-hand knowledge and are not just selecting from tips provided by strangers. Your experiences and recommendations will carry much more weight if they are based on the personal experiences of a reasonably representative (if small) group of 'normal' passengers traveling through a reasonably representative (large airport, mid-size, small airport) selection of airports. (Otherwise we could all just watch George Clooney in 'Up in the Air'!!)

Certainly we have enough collective expertise on this board to help you construct a budget- and time-friendly multi-airport run!

He doesn't even have to fly! Just buy refundable tickets and pass through security. Then go back out and get a refund.

Bruce

Avoid baggy clothing, skirts, head coverings, prosthetics, medical devices, feminine hygiene products, incontinence products, wheelchairs, physical deformities, and pocket lint.

Many people are still able to go through security the old way and many people go through the scanner without getting a patdown but there are no guarantees, so one should dress prepared for this possibility.

You can no longer travel via commercial airline without being inconvenienced.

Best bet is to ship your luggage ahead of time, lock all openings of your carry-on if you're taking one (yes, Thieves Steal Anything) and be ready to have your rights violated. If you aren't in the mood to have your rights violated then I suggest allowing extra time to deal with the goons and be prepared for them to not allow you past the security moat and into the citadel that is the average airport should you question their authoritah.

Careful, the dragons don't bite, but they do tend to yell a lot. ;)

I think it's better if Andy (and companions) go to the airport without a lot of coaching. That way, he will find out that what he (and most of us) consider 'reasonable' can prove to be anything but when TSA is in a bad mood.

'Baggy' - that's like thinking you know the rules about LGA -until Britney Spears carries a jumbo cup of ice chips (without a drop of liquid!) through a checkpoint. If OP is wearing comfortable, business casual slacks and gets an invasive patdown because the TSO considers them 'baggy', he will have learned something - that no matter how reasonable he tries to be, there are absolutely no reasonable guarantees that things will go 'smoothly' at the checkpoint.

Be brutal, confrontational, and berative. They tend to back down very quickly.

I, for one, will not provide any information to the media. I'm sick of them soft-footing this entire issue, and interviewing people who are in compliance or supportive, while failing to show the larger outrage and abusive activities that are going on.

Andy,

When I first read your request, I immediately responded with a sarcastic/snarky post not towards you - but to the whole situation. I don't regret it because it was an honest gut response to your request.

As I sit here, I'm puzzling over why your query prompted my gut response. The answer is relatively simple, why should anyone have to take ANY additional steps to protect their dignity from a government employee? How did we get to this time and place where we have plan our behavior, clothing, demeanor so that we can avoid indignity?

The real story is not 'what must we do to protect our dignity?', the story is 'why is the dignity of anyone under threat?'

Welcome to FT, Andy. It seems to be a roll of the dice these days. In my experience, even polite opt outs are met with questions and offers to let the traveler complete a "feedback card" that requests your name and email address--while that information is "optional", doesn't inspire confidence that one won't end up on a "list" of some sort.

For Thanksgiving travel out of IAD prior to the holiday, the lane marked for families was NOT routed through the NOS, the other lane, ostensibly for experienced travelers and those who need less time to prepare their possessions to go through the x-ray, was routing all travelers through the NOS.

After Thanksgiving, at SAN, it appeared that all travelers were routed through the NOS, and requests for opt outs were met with a bit of a puzzled reaction as to why one would want to opt out, which was a bit more subtle than the puzzled reaction when I opted out the month before.

Good luck with your article. This may be a bit of a tangent, but regarding passenger dignity, it would be interesting to know what the manufacturers of products designed to protect one's dignity and privacy (ostomy products, adult incontinence products, feminine protection products, etc.), which can be seen by the scanners, and felt during pat downs have to say about how their customers are being treated. Customer dignity and privacy are key parts of their marketing strategies.

Very well stated, Darkumbra.

<sarcasm> 9/11 changed everything </sarcasm>

+1.

However, it sounds like you are researching an article about how the average person can get through without being violated. I think whoever gave you this assignment just doesn't understand what is going on. The premise that the indignity/violation/assault can be avoided through some special technique is simply wrong. At least if you want to fly that day.

All you can do is the obvious. Don't actually get in line for the porn-scanner voluntarily. There is usually at least one metal detector line at the checkpoint. If you are pulled from that line and asked to go through the porn-scanner, the TSA allows you to opt-out. If you opt-out they will ask you to either wait or to walk through the porn-scanner without stopping.

Note that choosing to go through the nude-scanner does not eliminate the possibility of also getting groped. That seems to be a common misconception. There are many reasons why seeing through your clothes is not sufficient for them. Things like skin folds of any kind or a wallet or money belt or even cash or moving a bit too much in the scanner (creates blur) or just an old fashioned false positive on the part of the less than perfect machine or the TSO manning the machine. In actual practice such post-scanner gropes seem to happen quite frequently.

Once you have opted out and are on the other side of the scanners they will give you the prison entry opt-out frisk which usually includes sliding their fingers over every inch of your body with a pair of nitrile gloves that they only change on request. The actual procedure is top secret, but traveler reports indicate that it involves sliding their hands (not the back of their hands) up both sides of each leg. until they touch your genitals. At this point, some of the TSOs will also rub (slide their fingers across with pressure) your genitals with their fingers or for males even cup your balls looking for explosives taped to them or whatever. They will also slide the side of their hand into the cleft of your buttocks making contact with the anus as they slide across. They will also slide their fingers down your pants between your underwear and your skin sliding all the way around from your pubic area at the front to your buttocks in the back. In some cases they will also pull out the front of your pants and underwear and peak inside for a visual inspection. Of course females will also get a thorough breast exam.

The only way to get through without being scoped or groped is to not be selected for the rapescanner, which just comes down to luck or maybe what you look like. If you look "suspicious" (having dark skin or a beard for instance) or are an attractive female you will probably be selected.

For a "domestic extremist" or radical like myself there is virtually no risk of having to be scoped or groped. Why? Because I will opt out of both the scope and the grope every time and will resist with force if necessary. Unfortunately that involves risk of a $10,000 administrative fine from the TSA and/or being arrested by the airport police on trumped up charges in support of their TSA colleagues.

My own personal strategy for an airport or checkpoint with the porn-scanners is as follows:

1. Get in the metal detector line.

2. Keep my stuff with me until there is only one person in front of me. Then place my carry-on on the belt as far back as possible. That is, behind other people's grey bins. So that ideally I would be walking through the detector before my stuff goes through the x-ray machine. If a screener disallows this then at least time it so that my stuff goes through the x-ray machine at exactly the same time that I do. Once my carry-on goes through the x-ray machine the TSA has a great deal more leverage to detain me at the checkpoint.

3. If selected for the the porn-scanner grab my stuff from the belt, and inform the TSO selecting me that I am opting out of both the scanner and the patdown. They will no doubt inform me that I cannot opt out of the patdown. I will stand my ground and request a police officer.

When the police officer arrives. I will explain that I neither wish to be seen naked nor to have my genitals stroked by another man. That I would prefer not to fly if it requires being violated. I will then ask the officer if I am free to leave the airport. If he says no. I will ask "Am I being detained?". If he says yes, then I will say "Am I being arrested?" If he says no to either of these I will ask "Am I free to go?". Otherwise I will not give any further information to the police officer except for me name. If he gives my name to the TSA I will request his name and badge number. The nice thing about this strategy is that if I am being detained at least it is by an actual law enforcement officer. There are clear rules and precedents about arrests and detainments by LEOs. Not so about TSOs.

If there doesn't seem to be a police officer near the checkpoint there is a slight variation to the above which might save some time and the possibility of getting on a DHS/TSA suspicious person watch list, albeit with a greater chance of being arrested. That would be to simply walk away from the checkpoint with my carry-on as soon as I have informed the TSO that I choose to opt out of both the scanner and the grope. The TSO has no power to physically detain me. They will have to call the airport police with my description and hope that the LEO can catch me before I exit the airport. If the LEO does catch up to me in time then I will surrender to him and go back to the "Am I being detained, Am I under arrest, Am I free to go" chant.

For a regional airport that doesn't yet have the scanners the only difference is that I would be opting out of a grope if "randomly" selected for secondary inspection. Of course if you do make it through the metal detector at an airport with scanners you can still be selected for a "random" secondary inspection.

This secondary inspection grope opt-out is actually worse because the law seems to draw a line after you walk through the metal detector. A ninth circuit court (although I don't live in that district) ruled that once you pass through the metal detector you have consented to a search and that that consent cannot be withdrawn. Whether such a search can include touching your genitals would be up to a court to decide I think. Note this same problem would probably also apply to a post-scanner grope. The scanner would no doubt be seen as the equivalent of a metal detector.

A possible thing to do is to ask the TSA people if they have thought about possible criminal charges about what they are doing. After all, the searches they are engaged in are quite clear violations of the fourth amendment to the United States Constitution, and violations of civil rights, under the color of police powers, are felonies under 18USC section 242. Do they know that they are in danger of doing serious time in the slammer?

The trouble with this is that you are, after all, at the airport with the intention of going somewhere on an airplane, right?

The best way to get through security with your dignity intact is to live on the northern border, drive to the nearest air carrier airport in Canada, buy a ticket to a second Canadian destination nearest your destination, rent a car and drive to your destination from there. Welcome to FT.

+1. Way to go, for a national magazine of Forbes stature, to do an article that has already assumed the roll-over position for TSA policies. Instead, as a technology and security reporter, why not follow the money trail of Rapiscan and see who stands to gain from having these scanners installed? Why not examine the technology behind the backscatter vs. MMW, and ask why the TSA would put in a machine with radiation when one without is available? Why not look at the way AMS does their security, and ask why the TSA chose what it chose, especially when other countries have already looked at and discarded the technology the TSA is so vocally embracing?

There's a journalism prize in there somewhere for you, Andy, if you ask the tough questions and bring this issue to national attention. But it's not in writing articles on how your basic American citizen can avoid being sexually harassed and assaulted by TSA regulations and the TSOs that carry them out at their own "discretion". And that's what it is, even if you prefer to call it "getting through with the least embarrassment and inconvenience."

Yes. But only if I am able to do so without being porn-scanned or sexually molested by another male. As you know this is quite possible. Not everyone is selected for the porn-scanner and not everyone is selected for a secondary inspection. If I make it through the gauntlet of porn-scan selection and secondary inspection then I am perfectly happy to fly instead of driving or taking a boat. I am neither female nor attractive nor dark skinned (I am pasty white), and if I have a beard I always shave it before flying. It's a roll of the dice. If/when they do phase out the WTMDs completely or put them in series with the porn-scanners instead of in parallel then I wouldn't even bother to show up at the airport. But as long as they have them running there is a chance to make it through. Didn't a TSO here say that he guessed the chance of being selected was only something like 1 in 5? Of course even if true that could change at any time.

Substitute Mexico at your leisure, although that is more likely to be an unpleasant drive.
You can also attempt to take amtrak from Montreal to NYC, DC, etc.

Here is the first step: OSI/Rapiscan campaign contributions. There are a lot more donations out there if one searches the campaign finance database for individual donations of those who contributed to the OSI PAC.

Andy,

I am a long-time Forbes subscriber and am on Steve's Christmas card list. I believe Steve would be editorializing -- strongly -- against this ratcheting up by the TSA if he had experienced it.

That said, let me try to answer your question: There is no way to get through today's security with your dignity intact.

I was at the Charlotte Airport Thursday and got into the non-nude machine line. I went through the metal detector without issue, my belongings had no apparent problem, yet I was "randomly selected" for the grope search. The person being grope searched in front of me was a 60ish woman and obviously no threat to anyone. The experience is humiliating and demeaning and completely unnecessary for security.

Here is some background info: http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspo...ust-right.html and http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspo...our-phony.html

Hope this is helpful.

Mike

It would be great if you were able to at least nod in the direction of the folks who are now subjected to an invasive patdown every time they fly. I am talking about folks who are in wheelchairs or mobility/balance challenged. These folks couldn't go through the WTMD before. Instead, they got a wanding/light back of hand patdown. Now they get the invasive frisk every time they go through a checkpoint. It is possible, just possible, that some of your readers fall in this category or know someone who does. There is no alternative available to them, they will get an invasive patdown every time they fly.

Maintaining Dignity
 

Coming up with simple heuristics that would work for just about anyone wanting to maintain their dignity while going through airport security just doesn't seem possible.

I do pretty well getting through security. I think this is less about my social engineering ability and more about being male, over 50 and serious about business.

I've observed that females over 50 and the retired get randomly selected out of proportion to their numbers. If you fit into these categories, nothing you can do will maintain your dignity unless you do as my wife does. When told that she has been "randomly selected," she tells the TSA agent that there wasn't anything random about it. She goes on to ask how random means only women over 50. Generally, the agents back down and move on to the next over 50 female.

My advice is to accept that there is no dignity going through security. Have very low expectations. Be flexible. Keep your eyes on your stuff. Don't let the man get you down. Understand that in security, the rules are there are no rules.

When I think about all of the really stupid things that have happened to me in security, I think about the truly horrid things that have happened to other people. Knowing how bad it could be helps me maintain some perspective.

My advice? Follow another poster's suggestion to get out there and fly.

come down to Australia and pass through our security - see how it is done, and because you are new here (welcome BTW) and have never heard me say it before - and strangely, despite not having the security theatre of the US, but still having similar threats, our planes don't fall out of the sky...

This is not a flaw but a feature of the system. If they told us how to guarantee 'safe' passage through checkpoints it would tip off the terrorists!

Be male.

:rolleyes:

There are a number of threads here about the extra problems encountered by women, especially the growing list of clothing our TSOs here have said need to be removed, or which trigger a secondary inspection. Then add in sanitary napkins, breasts, etc and it makes it even more difficult for women than for men.

While I do generally agree that it is better to be male passing through the security theatre there are some exceptions.

I could be wrong about this but I think males are more disgusted by same sex sexual contact than are women. Yes, this is is a generalization and not always true, but I think men are simply way more homophobic. There is a stronger stigma against same sex genital contact. I think the same sex aspect may be more traumatizing for us than for women. Hell, the TSA even seems to think women would actually prefer being touched by a same sex screener. I think the vast majority of men would prefer a woman to be handling our delicate packages.

During the sexual patdowns men's junk is more "out there" and can be played with and abused more. Women don't have to worry about having their testicles squeezed for instance. And a karate chop sliding motion to the testicles while patting down the legs hurts a lot more than a karate chop to the vulva (or even to the breasts).

Based on the limited x-ray images that have been released the images of the male seems to be more graphic, probably due to the genitals hanging out there more. In the images you can even see exactly which way it is hanging. Also men aren't used to having their dick size judged by strangers. Women are used to this with their breasts, but, unless we are wearing a speedo, we men are shielded from such judgments. With the NoS all of a sudden our equipment is out there to be judged by an expert team of panelists in the peep room. I think differences in women's labias are not quite so obvious in the images. And the differences are more subtle anyway.

Andy: http://saizai.com/tsa_rights.pdf

Fully compiled and ready to distribute. Feel free to quote as much as you want so long as you cite it to that URL.

Call me if you want an interview; number's on my website.

What's the measurement of dignity, in the scope of this specific thread?

Once we know that, we can respond how, if possible, to keep it.

The OP is coming to us with a word, without a measurement. The author, and every member on this forum, might have a different definition of dignity.

And be prepared to miss your flight; that's the screeners' big stick - take it away.

OP, I suspect that your target audience is the male frequent flyer.

The voices which really are not being heard, and which are treated with even less dignity, are those with medical issues.

While I applaud you for doing such a piece, may I encourage you and your colleagues look at how those with medical issues are being completely overlooked by the media and the general public in regards to this topic?

As others have said, publications with the influence of Forbes should be protesting the inane and ineffective practices of the TSA monstrosity, not trying to figure out ways to deal with the monster. At the risk of invoking Godwin's Law, this sort of behavior reminds me of the Jews during the 1930s trying to appease the Nazis -- but, of course, the only way for Jews to appease the Nazis was to die. I see no way any more to "work with" the TSA. They have crossed one line after another and now must be abolished. Simple as that.

Bruce

Bravo. I couldn't have said it better myself. ^

This is an important point that a lot of reporters miss. The fact is, just because someone chooses to go into the x-ray nude-o-scope doesn't ensure they'll avoid a grope-down.

Kudos to Forbes magazine by the way!

Although I do not personally read Forbes magazine, my assumption is that the average demographic is a well-heeled white male age 40+. I could be wrong but that is the impression I get.

This is the same demographic that is likely doing the majority of travel in the US (albeit a small percentage of that will be General Aviation).

2+2 = Forbes better be real careful how this article is worded. They may get away with dismissing the feeble and the disabled, but if they imply that the frequent-flyer businessman out there is OK with this they may be in for a world of hurt.

FYI all, this is legit. Got a call from Andy earlier.

Also, this is his work: http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/

http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenber...l-not-so-fast/

http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenber...logs-comments/

Very positive stuff, worth supporting.