Hands On Experience: The Obama Administration From Nudge to Groping

08-24-2010 • EconomicPolicyJournal.com

A TSA spokeswoman yesterday confirmed the switch to what the agency calls an “enhanced patdown.” “TSA is in the process of implementing an enhanced patdown at security checkpoints as one of our many layers of security,” said Ann Davis, TSA spokeswoman for the Northeast region. “Patdowns are designed to address potentially dangerous items, like improvised explosive devices and their components, concealed on the body.” The body searches are conducted by same-gender TSA officers, and passengers can request private screenings at any time. Previously, TSA screeners used patdown motions of their hands to search passengers over their clothes, switching to the backs of their hands over certain ’sensitive’ body areas, such as the torso. But now the searches will be done using all front-of-the-hand sliding motions over greater areas of passengers’ bodies, including sensitive areas. At this point, I thought to myself, Sunstein thinks this is a "nudge", he's trying to drive people to use the full body scanners. Sure enough, the article continues: The TSA implemented the new body-search procedures at Logan and Las Vegas-McCarran because both airports are using the greatest number of the walk-through full-body scanners. Those scanners use low-dose X-rays to produce two-sided, head-to-toe images of passengers’ bodies - including discernible but not distinct images of their private parts - but blur their facial features. Passengers who opt not to walk through the full-body scanners - which have also been assailed by privacy advocates - must instead walk through a metal detector and submit to a body search. I'm sure there are plenty more nudges hidden in the ObamaCare health bill and the Dodd-Frank finance bill that we will find out about in due time.