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IPFS News Link • Transportation Security Agengy/TSA

The Woeful TSA Doesn't Need More Staff. It Needs This Tech

• https://www.wired.com

American airport security has never been something to look forward to, but in the past few weeks, it's attained new levels of misery. The busy summer travel season is only just starting, and already the public's been warned to expect the worst. Understaffed Transport Security Administration checkpoints mean lines spilling out of airport doors.

Hauled before Congress for a ritual grilling, TSA chief Peter Neffenger pledged to increase staffing (including sniffer dogs) and encourage more people to enroll in the TSA Pre-Check program, in which trusted travelers (who've undergone background checks and paid a fee) pass through a quicker, less rigorous screening. He sacked his head of security. Those steps may fix the immediate problem—those godawful lines—but won't get to the core of what's wrong with US airport security.

The TSA can't seem to find the balance between convenience and security. Even when the line moves smoothly, the process feels invasive, ad hoc, and simultaneously ineffective: Screeners seem to constantly fail tests to find fake explosives or weapons.


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