New methods surfacing to rat out hostiles at airports

It seems that flying the not-so-friendly skies is becoming quite a hassle these days, as airport security is getting beefed up even more to account for the recent scare in the UK. Having to suffer through countless checkpoints as if you're guilty until proven innocent definitely flies against what we freebirds are used to, but apparently that's the price you pay if you want some sense of security while cruising the friendly skies. One company is trying to take lemons and make lemonade by offering up sophisticated filtering and detection systems that can supposedly distinguish a highly explosive Pantene bottle from your average (i.e. non-destructive) bottle of shampoo, while another outfit is lobbying to get its "intention analyzer" booth installed in commercial airports. Guardian Technologies is in talks with the TSA to get its PinPoint imaging software integrated into airport X-ray machines, which can reportedly analyze the density of liquids and determine the difference between "organic and explosive" substances (The timing here is somewhat intriguing, eh? Reminds us of how Parallels came hot on the heels of Boot Camp). The software transforms its density measurements into colorized images which provide an easy visual for spotting harmful materials, even through innocent-looking containers. Meanwhile, Suspect Detection Systems, Ltd. is also in cahoots with the TSA as it looks to install a number of "booths" in airports to rat out potential felons; any suspicious individual could be asked to answer a series of on-screen questions (such as "are you smuggling drugs?") while placing their hand on a biometric scanner within the booth -- the built-in algorithms analyze the heart rate, blood pressure, sweat quantity, etc. (think snazzy polygraph) to determine if the subject truly has an ill will or not. The Israeli-based company expects the $200,000 machine to accurately select "90 percent of potential saboteurs," while inconveniencing "only" 4 percent of non-thretening travelers. We're not sure which is more disturbing about this scenario: the fact that one in ten cool and collected terrorists can slip through undetected, or that millions of innocent travelers will be scrutinized for nothing. Regardless, with hijackings and terrorism becoming a seemingly growing threat, we can probably expect that these off-the-wall security measures will impact some of us just trying to catch a last minute flight, but aside from the impending aggravation, we're all better off safe than sorry.

Read- Interrogation booth [subscription required, via Boing Boing]
Read- PinPoint imaging [Via The Inquirer]

[grimace @ Aug 15th 2006 2:21PM]

so basically rather than 2 hours before flight, we'll soon have to come about 20 hours before flight or so, especially w/ those interrogation booths???

[Dennis @ Aug 15th 2006 2:22PM]

I would rather see the airlines go down the path of "know your flyer" kind of systems. Where you can pre-sign up with an airline and have some kind of background check done and get an ID card that you can use to just walk through security check points.

[Benjamin @ Aug 15th 2006 2:27PM]

Terrorism is really, really annoying.

[Hamson @ Aug 15th 2006 2:33PM]

This is all such a hassle. How many planes have been hijacked or exploded by terrorists in the past 100 years? Like four?

For Gods sake, if they can already wiretap us and read our emails to get tipped off about these kinds of things, than there is NO need to add any more security measures to airports.

No books for the UK? What do you do on a flight? No Toothpaste or Water for us? Let's all travel smelling like hobos and passing out of dehydration.

Like you guys mentioned earlier anyways, there are still PLENTY of deadly things that you can do with even this enhanced security. Glass daggers, ceramic knives, filing down your finger nails into sharp weapons, injecting an empty orange with explosive chemicals to mix with the other injected oranges of your accomplices next to you on the plane. This is all ludicrous.

Eventually we'll all be flying on slave planes with nothing more than the clothes on our backs, while our luggage is safely carried in a separate cargo plane that follows us to our destination. No chance for explosions and everyone's happy. That's the logic, right?

[dpk @ Aug 15th 2006 2:33PM]

The terrorists will not rest until TSA requires *all* to undergo compulsory anal examinations before, during, and after each flight.

[Wyatt_Z @ Aug 15th 2006 2:38PM]

Intention analyzer... Sounds a bit too Orwellian for my tatses.

[Cade @ Aug 15th 2006 2:54PM]

This was the terrorist's plan from the beginning. 9/11 was just the beginning. Their real plan was to annoy us to death with all the useless security measures. Looks like they've already won.

[Keith @ Aug 15th 2006 3:16PM]

"Better Safe Than Sorry?" We're already sorry, but not safe, and even if a bad idea costs billions, it's still a bad idea.

[Nate @ Aug 15th 2006 3:28PM]

After all the millions of dollars we spent on beefing up security, I wonder how many ACTUAL terrorist attemps we've stopped. Any?

[klew @ Aug 15th 2006 4:13PM]

Cade seems to be onto something. If people won't want to fly, imagine the savings on fuel, then we won't need to go to the mideast to fight for it. Granted there would probably be more drivers on the road, but then hybrids and electrics would be more accepted.

[Neo Senku @ Aug 15th 2006 4:51PM]

Like always in human history the many must suffer fo the mistakes and actions of the few

[Jared @ Aug 15th 2006 5:31PM]

You know, back when our legal system was young, someone should have created a pathos of "innocent until proven guilty". OH. Right.

[JS Beckerist @ Aug 15th 2006 5:41PM]

certainly more than you'll ever know...

[JS Beckerist @ Aug 15th 2006 5:41PM]

@Nate

certainly more than you'll ever know...

[jnasato @ Aug 15th 2006 7:28PM]

The U.S. would never be able to stop my forces, as my weapons are as concealed as can be.....

Sincerely,
Black Ninja

[Marshall @ Aug 15th 2006 8:29PM]

See also Google acquires face recognition company today, lol

[Dick @ Aug 15th 2006 10:32PM]

TSA has, by law, a limit of 45000 employees. A good chunk of these people have a hard time managing those gray tupperware bins. A few of them are just capable enough to discern a fingernail clipper from a Schik razor. And you think asking questions is going to be the thing to do at an airport?

Profiling is the ONLY way to make life easier.
87 year old grandmothers, and 7 year old children do NOT need the Nth degree at the airport. Skip the shoes. Skip frisking these people. Move on to the ones of the proper age and racial group. If someone looks middle-eastern, search them. It's that simple. The white people are not causing the trouble. Moms and grandmothers are not causing problems. Business men are not causing trouble. I fly 100 times a year for business. Look at my profile. I am NOT the problem. If you have Egyptian 23 year olds who have never been in "the system", it's time to search them, and anyone who travels with or around them. Give them a good ole' Welcome to the US frisking. If they don't like it, tell them to put down Islamic radicals back in their homeland, and we won't have this problem. It's THAT simple. The people that come from these countries that produce these wackos need to be involved. Lumping them all together gets them involved in the solution. If you look like a terrorist, but aren't, help us FIND the terrorists.

But we've got Jesse Jackson, Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and Teddy Kennedy to "protect us from vicious profiling". Thank you very little, you spineless, worthless liberals who can't save your own butts.

Spending billions on fancy color-coding gadgetry won't make me feel more comfortable. Searching the middle-easterners on every US flight will make me feel more comfortable.

[Czolgosz @ Aug 16th 2006 12:17AM]

Run the numbers.

A million travelers (Heathrow handles more than these in a week). Say, ten potential hijackers that week. If the system works as advertised, it would catch nine of the hijackers while falsely implicating only 40,000 innocent people.

Gotta love those marketing sleazebags trying to put lipstick on numbers like that.

Anyway, how can they know how well it would work in real life? Have they tested it on terrorists?

[zoobazz @ Aug 16th 2006 3:31AM]

Glad to see that everyone else is annoyed by the TSA stupidity. Will the US ever wake up? Will the Bush-cronies ever stop with the fear tactic to get votes from middle-america?

I hope so. 10years of flying every week and this latest thing takes the cake. BakingSoda for toothpaste while traveling and shaving with soap blows!

Mr Terrorist, please stop with your antics. If you want to die to be surrounded by women, just go to the bunny ranch outside of vegas.

[Iippo @ Aug 16th 2006 6:02AM]

The perfect solution would be simply banning all flights from and to the USA. There's no reason for us to come over there and we sure as hell don't want you over here.

[zoara @ Aug 16th 2006 10:26AM]

I wonder how people will view the attitudes of the early 2000s when they study it in the history books...

[Armen @ Aug 16th 2006 12:01PM]

Terrorism is really, really annoying.

[Armen @ Aug 16th 2006 12:05PM]

Terrorism is really, really annoying.

[Armen @ Aug 16th 2006 12:08PM]

What trigered terrorism is even more annoying. Bombing Afghanistan and Iraq with the excuse of 'liberation' and 'democracy'. Pushing Iraq into war with Iran, resulting in millions of handicaped young people suffering everyday. For what? So the rich get richer (cheap oil). So the arm manufacturers can sell their "products". It's been the same concept through out the history, people suffering because of stupid politicians, leaders, rulers. Killing democracy is killing democracy, no difference if it's been done by a sword (literally) or by relaying half-truths on hight-tech satellites or not giving airtime on them.

[Andy McGehee @ Aug 16th 2006 2:36PM]

Your question, zoara, made me think of the railroading (IMHO) of Sacco and Vanzetti. Now, please understand, I believe that Islamofascism is a MUCH bigger threat to human freedom than anarchism ever dreamed of being, but the human tendency to overreact is amazing.