In a massive security breach, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) inadvertently posted online its entire airport screening procedures manual, including some of the most closely guarded secrets regarding special rules for diplomats and CIA and law enforcement officers.
The most sensitive parts of the 93-page Standard Operation Procedures were apparently redacted in a way that computer savvy individuals easily overcame.
Terrific. Just terrific.
And we want to trust them with health care. . .
I’ve seen the unredacted manual and its not as bad as it sounds. First of all, I’d say at least 98% was already unredacted – so it wasn’t a lot that was covered up. Second, the stuff that was [partially] redacted – such as sample IDs – are available elsewhere. And you could tell from the context what you were missing.
The DOD Counter Insurgency manual is available – intact – from the DOD and I would argue it has more sensitive information. Our government tends to over-protect (IMHO).
Last, this should be a lesson to everyone – if you disseminate an electronic document of any kind, people [yes, like me] are going to read the metadata. If you have any edits or anything you don’t want being released, have a geek clean it up first.
the even better news is that the real defense against terrorists on planes is largely the passengers (see: Richard Reid the shoe bomber). I trust the vigilance of fellow passengers far more than TSA.
BTW, Cryptome has both the unredacted and redacted versions of the manual – I’m not spilling anything – they’re pretty much a clearinghouse for this kind of thing and the bad guys know it.
I wouldn’t worry much about the manual. I went to Houston last week and was stopped by TSA twice. Once for having a legal 2 oz. bottle of isopropyl alcohol and once for having a legal bottle of talcum powder (I have flown with both items many, many times and never been stipped before). I am 60 years old, and have a USMC pin on my Brooks Brothers blazer. Why do I mention that? Because as #4 Chris says, I will be the one jumping over the seats to grab the terrorist who is trying to blow up the plane; and the TSA agents who stopped me knew that. As the head of security for El Al said, we Americans do a resonable job screening for bombs; it is time we start screening for terrorists. Until we do that, and give up idiotic govenrment sponsored political correctness, there will always be a heightened threat to US aviation.