Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 9:44:30 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Improved Security Lost in 'Maze'

Posted Feb 8, 08 5:22 PM CST in Technology,  US 

(Newser) – Whiz-bang technology that would keep terrorists from destroying airplanes, promised after the 9/11 attacks, hasn't materialized, the Washington Post reports. The various players blame each other for bureaucratic, legal, and market failures. One security-industry exec calls the Transportation Security Administration "a maze"; TSA officials blame firms for not delivering what they've promised.

Also at issue: general lack of investment in updated security technology. Investigators have found holes to exploit, and newer machines have raised concerns about passenger privacy or longer, congestion-worsening scanning processes. "The snail's pace of deploying new technology is unacceptable," said one lawmaker. "We remain vulnerable because we have not kept up with technological innovation."

Source Washington Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Families, Line Up Here—if You Have Time

    Nov 10, 08 6:32 PM CST
    Families, Line Up Here—if You Have Time Airports will allow families to line up in more leisurely security lanes for the coming holiday season, the AP reports. The checkpoints, which have proven popular in tests at 48 US airports, allow slow-moving families to stick together and less seasoned travelers to avoid scrambling for standard Transportation Security Administration procedure.

    More »

  • TSA Set to Flush Liquid Restrictions

    Oct 2, 08 2:31 PM CDT
    TSA Set to Flush Liquid Restrictions The oft-frustrating 3-ounces-in-a-baggie restriction on carrying liquids through airport security could be gone within a year, the Wall Street Journal reports. After testing out X-ray technology that detects bomb-making fluids, the Transportation Security Administration’s only remaining step is making sure the software works. “It’s not ready yet, but we are highly confident it will be effective,” the TSA head says. More »

  • US Terror Watch List Tops 400K

    Jul 14, 08 5:53 PM CDT
    US Terror Watch List Tops 400K Washington's terror suspect list has topped the 1-million milestone, Reuters reports. That adds up to 400,000 people, including duplicates, about 50,000 of whom are tagged with “no-fly” status. The American Civil Liberties Union slammed the list as poorly managed and too long to be effective. The ACLU has a convincing ally, the AP notes: a former Justice official with the same name as a terror suspect. More »

  • New Bags Let Laptop Users Fly Through Security

    Jul 1, 08 4:10 PM CDT
    New Bags Let Laptop Users Fly Through Security Eagerly awaited "checkpoint friendly" luggage is at last in the pipeline, and travelers will be able to clear airport security without removing laptops from their bags by September or October, the New York Times reports. The TSA-approved bags allow security personnel to see computers on X-ray machines through either protective sleeves or fold-down sections in bigger cases. More »

  • Security Could Get A Bit Easier

    May 22, 08 5:05 PM CDT
    Security Could Get A Bit Easier In a few months, travelers likely will be able to take their laptops through airport security without removing them from their cases—if they buy special new cases, that is. The Transportation Security Administration will probably begin accepting new forms of carrying cases that allow unobstructed x-ray views of the laptop inside, the agency told USA Today. More »

GE Security's CTX 9400 helps airport screeners detect explosives. The TSA has recently added 39 9400s to its 80 CTX order.   (Associated Press)
Travelers line up at a security checkpoint inside Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix Monday, Feb. 4, 2008 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)   (Associated Press)
Sam Silverstein, a Transportation Security Administration screener, looks at a laptop computer on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007, that was left behind by a passenger at Newark Liberty International Airport in...   (Associated Press)
Transportation Security Administration officer Renee Duncan, right, looks at an airline passenger's shoe at a security check point at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Thursday, Nov....   (Associated Press)
Shanyea Foster, left, a Transportation Security Administration screener, checks carry on luggage as an airline passenger loads his baggage at a security check point at Newark Liberty International Airport...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Related links

Threads (
1
 of 4)

Tags

terrorism • airport security • TSA • airport screener • security technology


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »