Security theater numbers

Why do they even try to fool us? The numbers are overwhelming in support of the claim that TSA stands for A Security Theater:

More than 10 percent of the TSA’s identification badges have errors that could compromise airport security, a new audit has found.

Omissions and inaccuracies ranging from birthdates and birthplaces to incorrect assessments of security threats abound in identification badges assigned to the approximately 900,000 people who have unescorted access to secure areas of airports, according to a report from the Department of Homeland Security inspector general.

Each year, the Transportation Security Authority oversees the vetting of approximately 550,000 badge applications.

There are nearly 1,000,000 people with unescorted access to secure areas of airports. Once inside the secure area they can travel to the secure area any other public airport in the country without having their credentials checked. Is anyone going to seriously try to convince me that not one in a million people is susceptible to black-mail, extortion, and/or threats against themselves or their family such that people will ill intent could not use them to gain access?

How much time can background investigators spend to vet those 550,000 applications? As the report says, they aren’t doing a very good job and it’s not surprising.

TSA—It is A Security Theater.

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One thought on “Security theater numbers

  1. I used to have a badge to access the secure areas at one of the country’s busiest airports. I can tell you for sure that the process for issuing the badges is a joke.

    A taste: Part of the process is watching a video about security procedures at the airport. After the video, we had to answer a series of multiple choice questions. The lady “grading” the tests and signing us off didn’t even look at the answers on the pages before marking them all a perfect score and sending us on our way. I know this because the guy in line in front of me to turn in his test had at least one answer different than mine and we both got a perfect score (everyone had the same questions, in the same order).

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