Update: Bob Screens the Apple MacBook Air
We were able to get our hands on a MacBook Air and run it through the X-ray in our lab. My suspicions were correct. The MacBook does look completely different than your typical laptop or DVD player. I can't get into specifics of course, but there were a couple of areas on the X-ray that could pique some interest for TSOs.
I think this is a very unique experience and a good example of how this blog can be used. I simply came into work one day, browsed the blogosphere and read about the MacBook Air having problems at a checkpoint. No more had I started researching the MacBook Air before a post popped up on our blog. I have since been in contact with Training and we're going to get an image out to our workforce (45,000).
I hope you enjoy my acting debut on the blog.
Legal Note: TSA and DHS do not endorse any product referenced in this video and associated blog post and any reference to a specific product is provided for the information and convenience of the public. Please visit our comment policy for more information.
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11:49 AM
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157 Comments:
Bob, thanks for the info on this particular laptop computer. As a TSO, I'll be looking for those images pertaining to the macbook air.
March 20, 2008 1:48 PM
We have got to get you some better looking ties. Other than that your acting debut was fine.
March 20, 2008 1:48 PM
Thanks for making good on your promise Bob!
Now I have another good reason to buy an Air ;)
March 20, 2008 1:50 PM
How is an image of the insides of the MBA a state secret? I could, for $1400 buy one and cut it open and take a look. I suspect the real reason is that you don't want people to see how poor your xray machines perform.
March 20, 2008 1:52 PM
Hi!
I think this blog is great, and would like to interview someone who is involved with its operations for my blog. Couldn't find any contact info, so I'd appreciate if someone could email me directly at weinreich at social-marketing.com so I can follow up with more details. Thanks!
Nedra Weinreich
http://www.social-marketing.com/blog
March 20, 2008 1:54 PM
First off, I would like to say that I've been reading these posts since the blog has debuted, and I think you guys are providing a great service to people who frequently travel, or even just the average Joe who has questions or fears about the security involved with flying.
However, you guys can discredit yourselves to those who read this when you fail to do a proper job editing your posts, as you used "peak" instead of "pique." I don't claim to be a grammarian in any sense, nor do I think that the small mistake is going to stop me from reading any following posts, but I do think that some people might see that as slightly unprofessional.
Hopefully a quick edit job can change that, and all will be well.
Keep up the good work.
March 20, 2008 2:15 PM
Bob wrote:
"I can't get into specifics of course, but there were a couple of areas on the X-ray that could peak some interest for TSOs"
I don't think it's a matter of course that you cannot discuss what some laptop computer looks like when viewed by an x-ray machine -- that's hardly classified information.
Could you please explain why this is something you cannot discuss?
March 20, 2008 2:22 PM
Kudos to TSA for being responsive -- the bigger question remains, however: Why would a screener make a passenger miss his flight simply because of something they hadn't seen before? Wouldn't a simple explosives residue test put the issue to rest?
It's absurd to make a passenger turn a device on -- it doesn't prove a device ISN'T explosive, and is an unnecessary invasion of privacy.
The problem here isn't the Macbook Air -- it's the notion that anything unexpected is perceived as a threat, and could make you miss your flight. Are we expected to know which computer models TSA screeners have received x-rays of before we fly?
March 20, 2008 2:23 PM
I was just going to correct "peak" when I see "anonymous" beat me to it. However, as the NYTimes today says, bloggers shouldn't try to be perfect.
:-)
March 20, 2008 3:08 PM
Not for nothing Bob, but for a "techy guy" you should know that this (/) is a slash, also referred to as a forward slash. Not a backslash as you stated while giving the feedback web address at the end of your video.
March 20, 2008 3:11 PM
Thanks, Chance, for the prompt follow-up.
I skimmed a couple documents within Title 49, Chapter XII, Part 1520. It looks like part 1520.7 Sensitive security information" is particularly relevant.
Could you please cite the paragraph(s) of the regulations you cited that lead(s) you to believe that an image of a commonly-available device like this laptop, created using a less-common, but still available to anyone who can afford it, device -- an x-ray machine -- should be considered "sensitive security information"?
It seems to me that relying on the hope that someone who would like to use x-ray images of the MacBook Air for nefarious purposes will be unable to acquire such images, as part of our national security, is rather risky.
Security through obscurity is folly.
March 20, 2008 3:16 PM
also, in the video, you say that your blog is located at "www dot tsa dot gov backslash blog"
if you put a backslash - \ - in the URI, you won't get anywhere except, maybe to a 404 error page, because backslash is a windows-only phenomenon that doesn't work anywhere else.
what you meant to say was "forward slash" - / - or "solidus" (which most people don't know, but is actually the "real" name of the "forward slash" character).
March 20, 2008 3:22 PM
For the price of a MBA, you could buy your own x-ray machine and look inside it yourself.
March 20, 2008 3:36 PM
Don't tell China that Bob! Ive been seeing a ad campaign that we have been sending portable xray devices to China!Aggg! The irony! They might put 1+1 together and we will have anarchy!
March 20, 2008 3:52 PM
The x-ray image is sensitive security information? I'm sorry, but I don't buy that.
Anyone working in a radiology lab could take 2 minutes to x-ray something and post the picture online.
March 20, 2008 4:06 PM
Yeah, you guys should really revamp your policies so they are less '1984' and more '2008'. I mean, whenever we ask you WHY you do something it's always "I can't tell you why, just trust that it's in your best interest"
Slippery slope. Blah blah blah. But I'm sure you guys don't care all that much about civil liberties.
March 20, 2008 4:29 PM
The mind simply boggles when reading some of the nonsense that the TSA and its representatives, chosen or not, put up on this website.
Do you have ANY concept in the world at how you come across - refusing to answer questions, "it's SSI", getting back and forward slashes mixed up, making foolish statements about alleged "rules", etc., etc., etc.
March 20, 2008 4:41 PM
Trollkiller said...We have got to get you some better looking ties. Other than that your acting debut was fine.
Come on Trolly Baby, that’s one of my favorite ties! You sir have rained on my parade.
Anonymous said... How is an image of the insides of the MBA a state secret? I could, for $1400 buy one and cut it open and take a look. I suspect the real reason is that you don't want people to see how poor your xray machines perform.
It’s not a state secret, it’s sensitive security information. (SSI) If you’ve got the cabbage to buy a MBA and slice it open, more power to you. While our X-ray machines may not be state of the art, they were good enough for our TSOs to find the anomalies on the MBA. (As well as millions of other items we’ve screened since our rollout)
Anonymous said... First off, I would like to say that I've been reading these posts since the blog has debuted, and I think you guys are providing a great service to people who frequently travel, or even just the average Joe who has questions or fears about the security involved with flying.
However, you guys can discredit yourselves to those who read this when you fail to do a proper job editing your posts, as you used "peak" instead of "pique." I don't claim to be a grammarian in any sense, nor do I think that the small mistake is going to stop me from reading any following posts, but I do think that some people might see that as slightly unprofessional.
Hopefully a quick edit job can change that, and all will be well.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the kudos. You piqued my interest, so I googled pique and now I know. Edited. Thanks
Aaron said... Kudos to TSA for being responsive -- the bigger question remains, however: Why would a screener make a passenger miss his flight simply because of something they hadn't seen before?
Hi Aaron. The passenger in question never stated how long the screening took. He also never said TSA made him miss his flight. We may have indeed taken a few extra minutes of his time, but he also may have been running late. I don’t know the details. Thanks for your comments.
Bill Harshaw said...
I was just going to correct "peak" when I see "anonymous" beat me to it. However, as the NYTimes today says, bloggers shouldn't try to be perfect. :-)
Bill, I like the way you look at things. You know, I was bummed out due to my tie being bashed and my misspelling of pique. Your reference to the NY Times article has made me feel better. Thanks! :)
Anonymous said... Not for nothing Bob, but for a "techy guy" you should know that this (/) is a slash, also referred to as a forward slash. Not a backslash as you stated while giving the feedback web address at the end of your video.
Man…just as Bill had me felling better about myself, WHAMMO. Good thing we spelled it out on the screen, huh? Thanks.
Anonymous said... what you meant to say was "forward slash" - / - or "solidus" (which most people don't know, but is actually the "real" name of the "forward slash" character).
From this day forward, it’s solidas! Thanks.
Sandra said... Do you have ANY concept in the world at how you come across
Yes. Thanks to Trollkiller, I’m well aware that I come across as a guy with an ugly tie.
Thanks,
Bob
TSA EoS Blog Team
March 20, 2008 5:37 PM
The x-ray image is sensitive security information? I'm sorry, but I don't buy that.
It's not the x-ray in and of itseld that is SSI. The image from TSA's x-ray machines would show how our machines are calibrated, allowing someone to circumvent that layer of security.
March 20, 2008 5:54 PM
Chance wrote:
"The reason we can't discuss or show certain things (such as the X-Ray images) is because they are considered "Sensitive Security Information", called SSI for short."
In response, I asked for pointers to what led him to believe that x-ray images of an Apple computer are Sesitive Security Information.
He responded by explaining that he's not an expert on SSI and stating:
"I think that paragraphs e-g of 1520.7 may apply to X ray images, especially g."
Paraphraphs e - g of 1520.7 are:
(e) Technical specifications of any device used for the detection of any deadly or dangerous weapon, explosive, incendiary, or destructive substance under the rules listed in Sec. 1520.5(a)(1) through (6).
No pictures of that laptop, from the outside or the inside, are technical specs for a device used for the detection of anything.
(f) A description of, or technical specifications of, objects used to test screening equipment and equipment parameters under the rules listed in Sec. 1520.5(a)(1) through (6).
No pictures of that laptop are a description or technical specs of an object used to test anything.
(g) Technical specifications of any security communications equipment and procedures under the rules listed in Sec. 1520.5(a)(1) through (6).
No pictures of that laptop are specifications of any security communications equipment or procedure.
Chance, what made you think that any of those paragraphs would apply here?
Also, if you're not an expert on SSI, how do you know that pictures of the inside of a laptop are considered SSI?
Chance also wrote:
"Also, 49 U.S.C. 40119(b)(1) seems to my non legal mind to be a catch all that could include images."
Everything in that short paragraph is contingent upon a declaration by the Secretary of Transportation. Are you telling us that the Secretary of Transportation has decided that with respect to pictures of the insides of a MacBook Air, (quoting 49 U.S.C. 40119(b)(1)) "disclosing the information would – (A) be an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy; (B) reveal a trade secret or privileged or confidential commercial or financial information; or (C) be detrimental to transportation safety."?
Blogger Bob, would you please comment on this? You're the one who first wrote that of course you couldn't get into the specifics of what you saw when you x-rayed the laptop.
March 20, 2008 5:58 PM
Somone anonymously wrote:
"It's not the x-ray in and of [itself] that is SSI. The image from TSA's x-ray machines would show how our machines are calibrated, allowing someone to circumvent that layer of security."
Assuming this anonymous information is accurate, looking looking over the shoulder of those doing the screening in an airport would accomplish the same. I've been through plenty of airports where the x-ray terminals are in view of those passing by. It's often obstructed a bit, but it's certainly not in some secure location.
Next?
March 20, 2008 6:07 PM
March 20, 2008 5:58 PM
Phil Said: Blogger Bob, would you please comment on this? You're the one who first wrote that of course you couldn't get into the specifics of what you saw when you x-rayed the laptop.
Hi Phil. As Chance said earlier, we are not SSI experts. it is common knowledge among the workforce that x-ray images are SSI. They can be made public (As in the shoe article) but the decision to make them public comes from a higher pay grade.
We're going to find an SSI expert to answer your questions. Stay tuned and thanks for posting...
March 20, 2008 6:10 PM
Bob wrote:
"it is common knowledge among the [TSA] workforce that x-ray images are SSI [...] We're going to find an SSI expert to answer your questions."
Ah, got it. Thanks for clearing that up. I'll be looking forward to an explanation. Obviously, this is not particularly important, but it's frustrating that a public agency would take this, "anything we do is secret, whether it needs to be or not" stance.
When you folks, as new TSA'ers, are told about some seemingly-nonsensical policy like that, do you speak up and ask for an explanation, or just blindly follow? I've been in work situations where thinking is encouraged, and I've been in work situations where you're expected to keep your mouth shut and your brain empty when some muckety-muck speaks.
March 20, 2008 6:22 PM
yeah I dont quite understand why the image is SSI either, you can do a google search for xray images, maybe not specifically of the MBA but I've seen them of normal laptops, bags, explosives etc.
Ive seen TSA xray images what i find online isn't much different, heck ins some cases the images are a bit better.
Not only that but some news website, I forgot who, maybe CNN, had a game where you could screen items on a "xray".
March 20, 2008 6:37 PM
I hate to belabor this, but the thing is, if our security hinges on people not getting x-ray images of a laptop, we're in big trouble.
Really: TSA should assume that anyone who could do anything bad with such an image will get one. Not showing it to us will slow that criminal down about as much as putting an extra stop light on the road to the airport.
Or maybe TSA should just tell us, "Look, we know we can't stop a determined criminal like a well-funded terrorist from bringing on explosives, so we're really just trying to avoid letting Joe sixpack smuggle a bit of cannabis on vacation with him by stuffing it in the battery compartment of his laptop."
And one other thing: Bob, you said in your video that these laptops look completely different from others because they use a solid-state drive. The MacBook Air comes with either a traditional hard drive or a solid-state drive. The part that differs is 2.5" wide by about 4" long and about a quarter-inch thick. There's no way it makes the whole laptop look different to an x-ray machine. Give me a break.
March 20, 2008 7:03 PM
For those of you curious for a taste of what we see, here is a link to an x-ray training service with a simulator. This is in the public domain, so as to not violate any SSI agreements. Has been up for several years. Though easy, it gives an idea (complete with background noises and grumpy fliers!)of what we see, I know my kid's enjoy doing it.
http://www.counterterrorism.com/xraytrain.htm
Your humble servant,
Random STSO
March 20, 2008 7:51 PM
Dear TSA,
Did the wannabe terrorists in the London plot have a working binary liquid explosive?
March 20, 2008 8:26 PM
Bob said:
"He also never said TSA made him miss his flight."
No, he said Steve Jobs made him miss his flight. That's quite generous of him. He did miss his flight regardless.
While not getting into a timeline, the original post makes it clear he's an experienced traveler who would have made his flight had the TSA not held him up. You're nitpicking words and avoiding the issue here.
You also didn't address my question as to why a security screener would want to see the MBA run a program. Is that actually an approved security procedure? If so, why? If not, why would a screener insist on it?
The other question you didn't address -- why wouldn't a simple (and fast) explosives residue test have sufficed in this case? Why would an unknown computer require the attention of 10-20% of the security agents at the checkpoint?
March 20, 2008 8:36 PM
FROM THE "RUMOR ALERT" Topic:
Anonymous said (in response to Trollkiller: I don't understand why it would be difficult to explain the avenues TSOs have open to report abuse, gross mismanagement, or safety issues.)
It's not difficult. The process
for posting a Francine-quality response just takes time. Requests from the blog go from Public Affairs to the subject matter experts, who take time from their other work to research and draft a response, back to public affairs, to a busy Office of Chief Counsel to ensure the response is legally correct, (often) back through the pipes with changes, and then finally to the bloggers to publish. Remember that every TSA post (as opposed to ad hoc comment responses) are treated as statements of agency policy.
March 20, 2008 9:20 AM
AND FROM THIS TOPIC:
Bob said...
March 20, 2008 5:58 PM
Phil Said: Blogger Bob, would you please comment on this? You're the one who first wrote that of course you couldn't get into the specifics of what you saw when you x-rayed the laptop.
Hi Phil. As Chance said earlier, we are not SSI experts. it is common knowledge among the workforce that x-ray images are SSI. They can be made public (As in the shoe article) but the decision to make them public comes from a higher pay grade.
We're going to find an SSI expert to answer your questions. Stay tuned and thanks for posting...
March 20, 2008 6:10 PM
Why weren't Blogger Bob's statements originally cleared by the (SSI) subject matter experts during the "draft a response" stage?
March 20, 2008 9:03 PM
Oh, anonymous…if life were only that black and white. As anyone that has read my posts and comments can attest, we’re pretty free-wheeling around here. Yes, we do work with our attorneys to keep us out of serious trouble but the moderators of this blog write their own posts, comments and are even encouraged to think independently. Our lawyers have not been heavy handed or seriously edited out posts, in fact they’ve worked really, really well with us.
When we have a guest blogger like Keith Kauffman, our intel chief, or if bloggers are asking detailed, legal questions that Francine Kerner is best qualified to answer, you bet they’re careful about what they say and how they say it. You would be too if your every consonant and syllable were scrutinized and dissected. It’s a balancing act between being conversational and providing detailed answers to very detailed questions that will help the public understand why we do what we do.
With that in mind, the moderators don’t wordsmith subject matter experts either, we just don’t. When you read something that says written by Kip Hawley, it was actually penned by Kip Hawley.
I’ll end with a quick roll call of the moderators:
Bob: security officer and behavior detection officer
Chance: intel analyst
Ethel: professional pilot evaluator and all-around creative thinker
Jay: federal security director
Christopher: obligatory PR guy
As you can see, we’re not exactly a room full of PR people here.
Christopher
EOS Blog Team
March 20, 2008 9:34 PM
Bob:
I liked your tie. My interest peaked.
March 20, 2008 10:49 PM
Anonymous said...
Dear TSA,
Did the wannabe terrorists in the London plot have a working binary liquid explosive?
March 20, 2008 8:26 PM
The answer to that, as I understand is NO. I have the feeling that you already new that, and you are fishing for an invitation to share your knowledge.
I would like to know what wasn't working with their binary liquid explosives. And, how much more time would they have needed before it could have been a functional binary liquid explosive? Are there other similar plots in the works right now that actually might create a working binary liquid explosive? When they discovered this plot in London, did they catch everyone who was involved in it, and get all the materials describing the plans, so that no paperwork or recipes fall into the wrong hands, and it gets started all over again?
March 21, 2008 12:19 AM
Regarding the feasibility of the binary liquid explosive plot:
The Register: Mass murder in the skies: Was the plot feasible?:
"Once the plane is over the ocean, very discreetly bring all of your gear into the toilet. You might need to make several trips to avoid drawing attention. Once your kit is in place, put a beaker containing the peroxide / acetone mixture into the ice water bath (Champagne bucket), and start adding the acid, drop by drop, while stirring constantly. Watch the reaction temperature carefully. The mixture will heat, and if it gets too hot, you'll end up with a weak explosive. In fact, if it gets really hot, you'll get a premature explosion possibly sufficient to kill you, but probably no one else.
"After a few hours - assuming, by some miracle, that the fumes haven't overcome you or alerted passengers or the flight crew to your activities - you'll have a quantity of TATP with which to carry out your mission. Now all you need to do is dry it for an hour or two."
The Guardian: The Timing is Political (Former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray):
"Nine days on, nobody has been charged with any crime. For there to be no clear evidence yet on something that was "imminent" and would bring "mass murder on an unbelievable scale" is, to say the least, peculiar. A 24th person, arrested amid much fanfare on Tuesday, was quietly released without charge the following day.
[...]
"None of the alleged terrorists had made a bomb. None had bought a plane ticket. Many did not have passports. It could be pretty difficult to convince a jury that these individuals were about to go through with suicide bombings, whatever they bragged about on the net."
On the implausibility of the liquid explosives plot:
"The news this morning was full of stuff about "ordinary looking devices being used as detonators". Well, if you're using nasty unstable peroxides as your explosive material, you don't really need any -- the stuff goes off if you give it a dirty look. I suspect a good hard rap with a hard heavy object would be more than sufficient. No need to worry about those cell phones secretly being high tech "detonators" if you're going this route.
"Anyway, from all of this, I conclude that either
"1) The terrorists had a brilliant idea for how to combine oxidizer and a ketone or ether to make some sort of nasty organic peroxide explosive in situ that has escaped me so far. Perhaps that's true -- I'm not omniscient and I have to confess that I've never tried making the stuff at all, let alone in an airplane bathroom.
"2) The terrorists were smuggling on board pre-made organic peroxide explosives. Clearly, this is not a new threat at all -- organic peroxide explosives have been used by terrorists for decades now. Smuggling them in a bottle is not an interesting new threat either -- clearly if you can smuggle cocaine in a bottle you can smuggle acetone peroxide. I would hope we had means of looking for that already, though, see below for a comment on that.
"3) The terrorists were phenomenally ill informed, or hadn't actually tried any of this out yet -- perhaps what we are told was a "sophisticated plot" was a bunch of not very sophisticated people who had not gotten very far in testing their ideas out, or perhaps they were really really dumb and hadn't tried even a small scale experiment before going forward."
March 21, 2008 1:38 AM
Bob,
First of all, don't worry about all the grammar nazis and tie haters out there. There are always people who find faults with something, no matter how good it is or how much effort went into it. Just ignore then and get used to it.
Second, I'm absolutely delighted to see this level of personal interaction between the TSA and its customers. Any chance a similar personal approach could be done with removing the names of people wrongfully or mistakenly placed on the TSA no-fly list? There have countless hundreds of nightmare stories of people being denied air travel due to a mistake. Even when the mistake is obvious, such as a 6-month old being denied travel because she has the same name as somebody on the watch list, there is absolutely no recourse, and that individual/family member is forever forbidden from flying, making travel -- particularly international -- virtually impossible. The only corrections ever made were with congressmen, and even then it was very difficult.
Is there any way you could suggest this, Bob? It would carry much greater weight coming from within the system.
Regardless, thanks for doing a great job.
March 21, 2008 5:09 AM
Ohh, BTW, I believe the reason Bob is hesitant and/or uncertain as to whether he should post the x-ray of the macbook is because it then allows for a reference of comparison. A picture of a dissected MBA or even an image from another x-ray machine is not as good as seeing it with the same parameters as the TSA does. A nefarious individual could study the reference image as seen on the TSA's security system and attempt to alter the macbook's internals to accomplish whatever malicious purpose he has in mind while still appearing the same on x-ray as the reference image, thereby seeming to be unaltered.
It's obviously not a bid deal since virtually anyone can obtain a radiograph of the MBA, but I'd be willing to be that Bob took the common "better safe than sorry" or "why do their work for them?" approach rather than take even the slightest risk.
March 21, 2008 5:20 AM
It’s not a state secret, it’s sensitive security information.
This is patent nonsense. There is nothing in the least sensitive about an x-ray of an off-the-shelf consumer item.
It merely demonstrates how much SSI is neither sensitive nor secret.
March 21, 2008 7:47 AM
seesaw,
It's pretty straightforward (unless the open source reporting is lying to us). They wanted to produce TATP aboard an airplane. TATP is a solid (sort of a crystalline powder) that is made from liquids. According to the reporting, they were going to bring the liquids needed to synthesize it aboard. Go on and google TATP, or look it up on wikipedia. It's incredibly difficult to make. It requires many hours, including time to filter and dry the resulting precipitate. It requires careful temperature control as well, and creates loads of noxious fumes. If you think someone's just going to pop into the head and make this stuff, and nobody's going to notice them also lugging in stuff to make an ice bath and heaters, and fumes pouring out, and the door locked for hours...well, you're no smarter than the people who put the 3-1-1 rule into play.
It was not a credible plot. TATP, once made, is extremely unstable. I highly encourage any terrorist reading this blog to make it, as the chances are quite good you'll blow yourself up long before you take out anything tactically useful.
March 21, 2008 9:02 AM
Ohh, BTW, I believe the reason Bob is hesitant and/or uncertain as to whether he should post the x-ray of the macbook is because it then allows for a reference of comparison. A picture of a dissected MBA or even an image from another x-ray machine is not as good as seeing it with the same parameters as the TSA does. A nefarious individual could study the reference image as seen on the TSA's security system and attempt to alter the macbook's internals to accomplish whatever malicious purpose he has in mind while still appearing the same on x-ray as the reference image, thereby seeming to be unaltered.
Pretty much impossible given the thickness of the laptop, varying densities of materials, etc.
March 21, 2008 9:59 AM
This is such a *brilliant* parody. It's good to see that the TSO people can have a good laugh at themselves and at their ridiculous antics. Congratulations on a fine post -- I'm still laughing.
March 21, 2008 10:48 AM
Anonymous (March 21, 2008 9:02 AM)
said:
"It was not a credible plot. TATP, once made, is extremely unstable. I highly encourage any terrorist reading this blog to make it, as the chances are quite good you'll blow yourself up long before you take out anything tactically useful."
Sounds like a good idea. Let's weed them out by their own stupidity!
I have never been a fan of the 3.1.1 anyway.
March 21, 2008 11:50 AM
Bob said...
Come on Trolly Baby, that’s one of my favorite ties! You sir have rained on my parade.
Sorry but you look more like a Hawaiian tie guy. Something with tropical flowers, palm trees or hula girls on it.
March 21, 2008 2:25 PM
Anonymous said...
FROM THE "RUMOR ALERT" Topic:
Anonymous said (in response to Trollkiller: I don't understand why it would be difficult to explain the avenues TSOs have open to report abuse, gross mismanagement, or safety issues.)
It's not difficult. The process
for posting a Francine-quality response just takes time. Requests from the blog go from Public Affairs to the subject matter experts, who take time from their other work to research and draft a response, back to public affairs, to a busy Office of Chief Counsel to ensure the response is legally correct, (often) back through the pipes with changes, and then finally to the bloggers to publish. Remember that every TSA post (as opposed to ad hoc comment responses) are treated as statements of agency policy.
I am not a patient man, but you are right quality answers do take time. I will try to be a bit more patient in the future.
Francine did answer my question with a quality answer. Worth the read.
March 21, 2008 2:30 PM
I agree that the x-ray image is sensitive security information. It is one thing to see the inside of the laptop with your own eyes. Its another to see the layout under x-ray, which shows much more information than a simple visual inspection.
By the way, the TSA does not ask you to power on devices anymore Aaron.
March 21, 2008 2:38 PM
Bob said
I’ll end with a quick roll call of the moderators:
Bob: security officer and behavior detection officer
Chance: intel analyst
Ethel: professional pilot evaluator and all-around creative thinker
Jay: federal security director
Christopher: obligatory PR guy
So we have Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers, Velma Dinkley and Scooby-Doo. You guys figure out who's who.
March 21, 2008 2:38 PM
Dang folks, back of the venom just a little. If Bob thinks showing the image will put him in a world of hurt have a bit of sympathy. He make think it is a retarded rule too.
He has said he will try to get the image approved to be released.
March 21, 2008 2:42 PM
Anonymous said...
I agree that the x-ray image is sensitive security information. It is one thing to see the inside of the laptop with your own eyes. Its another to see the layout under x-ray, which shows much more information than a simple visual inspection.
By the way, the TSA does not ask you to power on devices anymore Aaron.
They did in this case.
March 21, 2008 3:14 PM
The issue about secrecy, my guess, would be that its not what the computer looks like inside, since anyone could find that out. Rather, its how the MBA is different than others and what specifically cnocerns TSA about its appearance, which would give people a clue as to what potentially dangerous clues they are looking for when they screen computers.
March 21, 2008 3:35 PM
Bob,
Thanks for this post. I went through ATL and MCO recently with my MacBook Air w/SSD without issues.
I am glad to see you guys mixing it up a bit with the routine. Randomized is good for everyone.
Now, if only the airlines could just put peanuts and drinks in those long security lines...
You have a posse.
Thanks,
Jay
March 21, 2008 5:29 PM
(Note to moderator: the use of product names in this posting is not intended as promotion; if needed, you can remove the product names but please keep the word "sub notebook" as this is the key to TSA being able to find examples of these machines for testing purposes.)
Bob:
There are a number of other laptops you need to know about that will raise similar issues as this Apple machine. These are sometimes known as "sub-notebooks" because they are considerably smaller than conventional laptops, and they all use solid state data storage instead of hard drives.
Two examples that come to mind are the "XO" and the "eee PC".
The XO is the "hundred dollar laptop" that is made primarily for distribution to schools in the developing world. Last year these were briefly made available for puchase by the general public, so there will be a few thousand of them in circulation. (I have one, thought it would be a good travel machine because it's inherently rugged w/ no hard drive.) They are identifyable by a white and green color scheme with the XO logo on one side and a carrying handle molded into the plastic. The keyboard is a green rubberized membrane with notably small keys (designed for kids' hands).
Since there are relatively few of these in circulation they are rare enough that they might raise eyebrows. You can go to www.laptop.org and find the contact information for "OLPC" which is the organization responsible for these. They're not for sale to the public any more, but I'm sure OLPC would provide one to TSA so you can X-ray it and make the information available to screeners so they know what these should look like when they go through screening.
The eeePC is usually black or white but is now available in pastel colors. It has a small conventional keyboard. These are available from a number of sources for about $300 - $500 (Google "eeePC") so it should be easy to get one and run it through the same tests so your screeners know what to expect.
There are others of similar type made by other manufacturers; Google "sub notebook" and follow the leads from published articles to see about obtaining examples of these.
I think it is highly likely that solid state data storage will become far more common (in standard laptops as well as in the smaller models) due to its inherent ruggedness compared to hard drives.
Thanks for taking input from the public.
March 21, 2008 6:26 PM
Re. the discussion of privacy & security issues:
Folks, it's important to distinguish between technical issues and actual civil liberties issues. And I say the following as someone who is highly critical of the Bush administration in a number of areas.
Secrecy about the X-ray images is legitimate. Yes, anyone (e.g. an Al Qaeda operative in a sympathetic foreign country, with access to sympathetic persons in appropriate positions) can run laptops through X-ray machines and see what they look like. However, X-ray images differ widely depending on how the screening equipment is calibrated and how the imaging software is configured. An image of a laptop taken with US screening equipment can provide an adversary with vital information about the calibration and configuration details used in the US, thereby allowing the adversary to gain an advantage in disguising a harmful object as an innocent one.
Having to turn on a laptop or other device to prove that it works is not an invasion of privacy, much less a 1st Amendment issue. In this case, the TSA screener is concerned only with the fact that the device shows normal activity, *not* with the content of the information on the device.
The copying of hard drives by security personnel is an example of a legitimate privacy and 1st Amendment issue, because in this case what is at stake is the content of your ideas and associations. The way to deal with this issue is to bug your Representatives and Senators, seek relief through the courts, support appropriate candidates for public office, and become involved with organizations such as EFF that are active in these areas.
We need to differentiate between things that would be nice to know for personal interest, and things we need to know as citizens in a representative democracy. Yes, I'd like to see colorful pictures of the insides of laptops, but no, I don't need that information in order to decide whether to support this or that candidate for public office or proposed piece of legislation.
And we need to differentiate between issues of convenience and issues of fundamental rights. Getting delayed while rushing for a flight is inconvenient but it's not unconstitutional. (And why did you arrive at the airport at the last minute? Come on now folks, 90 minutes means 90 minutes, plan accordingly, better yet plan for 2 hours and relax.) Constitutional issues pertain to things such as the content of what you write and read: your ideas, beliefs, etc.
To the extent that there is a legitimate risk of terrorism, we will all have to deal with a certain amount of inconvenience including missed flights; and on the other hand, as citizens we are always obligated to protect our essential liberties such as the freedom to read and write and vote. This is a careful balance to maintain but we have done it in the past. The inconveniences we face today are nothing compared to what people faced in WW2; and on the other hand, even WW2 did not cause reporters and editors to cease writing critically, or prevent us from having elections. As this is an election year, that difference is a good one to keep in mind.
March 21, 2008 8:00 PM
Anonymous said...
As a frequent time traveler from teh 23rd century, I routinely require use of 21st cetnury physical travel resources, on al my flights if I inform the TSA that I am in deed traveling with 23rd century technology such as teh Apple I-brain, they are always courteous if I let them know in advance I am traveling with technology that is impervious to your ancient scanning devices.
Looks like your Apple I-brain is also impervious to our ancient spell checkers too.
March 21, 2008 10:03 PM
Your acting was fine. However I think that the whole thing is pointless without an image to back it up. I think the idea for the message is sound however if the TSA workforce can't see it what is the point. That's who you were addressing right?
March 22, 2008 8:36 AM
"what you meant to say was "forward slash" - / - or "solidus" (which most people don't know, but is actually the "real" name of the "forward slash" character)."
According to Wikipedia, you're wrong on this one: the solidus is used for fractions. The character used in URIs is a virgule. Don't worry, though; apparently both ISO and UNICODE screw this up too.
Here's a comparison
⁄ (solidus) vs. / (virgule)
March 22, 2008 4:52 PM
You say that you don't want to endorse any specific products or companies, then you post your video in Windows Media format, which is a Microsoft standard (and doesn't always play well on non-Windows machines).
Is there a way to view the video using an open standard like MPEG? Not having such an option strikes me as an endorsement of Microsoft.
March 23, 2008 3:41 PM
Anonymous said...
You say that you don't want to endorse any specific products or companies, then you post your video in Windows Media format, which is a Microsoft standard (and doesn't always play well on non-Windows machines).
Is there a way to view the video using an open standard like MPEG? Not having such an option strikes me as an endorsement of Microsoft.
Funny you mention this. As of COB Friday, I uploaded video to YouTube and will use that forum from here on out. All of our videos are on YouTube. The Apple Video can be viewed here.
March 23, 2008 5:52 PM
Don't tell China Bob. Um... wait a minute. They're MADE in China!
March 23, 2008 7:07 PM
Nice job, Bob! Thanks for paying attention!
March 24, 2008 1:54 AM
Poor Bob. The guys behind This Week In Tech viewed the video, and made fun of it. One quote: "Oh he's going into the review."
So when are you going to get your hands on the Asus EeePC and run that through the xray machine?
March 24, 2008 10:09 AM
Bob,
This blog has made the BIG TIME now... You are featured on TWIT Episode 137 with Jon Dvorak etc.
About 1 hour 4 minutes into the broadcast!
Enjoy!
March 24, 2008 11:53 AM
If you do not want buy a Macbook Air to see what the inside of on looks like, you can always to go
http://tinyurl.com/32bnjl and see for yourself. You can use a program like Photoshop to simulate what the x-ray machine will see, then you can go from there.
Unfortunately, the problem is not the Macbook Air or any other technical issue of the screening process. The process of screening leads to so much impatience that its overall dysfunction is a deterrent from anyone even trying to bring contraband aboard a plane via the passenger screening process.
There is more risk in the lack of proper screening of airport personnel and freight that I am not waiting for "when," I am driving to my destinations!
March 24, 2008 12:11 PM
Nice tie blogger bob!
March 24, 2008 3:00 PM
The absurdity of all this is the centralization "security". That means that, yes, the x-ray displays have to be obscured, because if you can fool one you can fool them all.
The seemingly endless parade of petty little rules is easily explained by those rules being made by bureaucrats who have no stake in what they do. The rules are for other people, to be implemented by other people, and if something does go wrong it's always the fault of someone else.
If the airlines themselves were responsible for the security of their own airplanes, they would balance the illusion of security against actual customer satisfaction and demonstrable results.
Sure, one airline might make people fly naked with only a toothbrush and no paste, but another airline might admit that even one .22 caliber pistol in the hands of a passenger would have prevented the hijacking and death of thousands on September 11th.
Would you fly in a plane where, as it was prior to 1968, anyone might be carrying a gun? No, you might not make that choice, but that choice must be yours to make. Not some bureaucrat.
March 24, 2008 3:02 PM
It just baffles me that so many people couldn't figure out that the MacBook Air was a friggin laptop. Come on people, it is not that difficult to understand. Sure, the xray scanner didn't show the typical look of a hard drive but when is this madness going to end. I am at the point where I have given up on flying. The entire process has become more annoying than ever. I got stopped because my camera lens, when scanned, looked like it could have been used for explosives. No duh! These days anything can. Are flights really safer these days that people can only carry 2 lighters and five packs of matches on board. God forbid they have 6 patches of matches and please don't get me started on the nailclippers because I know how dangerous those can be in the wrong hands.
March 24, 2008 3:34 PM
The guys at TWiT are laughing at you Bob.
http://twit.tv/137
Also, you can see inside the laptop at anandtech.com
The MacBook Air: Thoroughly Reviewed
http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=3226
March 24, 2008 4:09 PM
Hey "BOB" dont you think people can look at the screens at the airport when they are going thru security? I dont think thats a valid reason not to show the picture.
March 24, 2008 5:55 PM
Hi!
I'm so glad the government is doing its part to keep us from the next technology-related scare.
By the way, a search on youtube reveals this things "top secret insides" being projected on a 100ft tall screen in serveral dozen videos. oops. secret's out.
March 24, 2008 7:07 PM
I'm still wondering why they choose to use a non standard video format (Windows Media WMV) for a blog that is read by people with a cross section of computing platforms in regards to a post about a computer platform (OSX) that can not play said video format with a default installation. Great work guys!
March 24, 2008 7:18 PM
Anonymous said:
"Also, you can see inside the laptop at anandtech.com
The MacBook Air: Thoroughly Reviewed
http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=3226"
Don't know about that...I looked at the whole review and didn't see one x-ray image of that laptop at all...only pics of one taken apart. If I recall correctly, Bob stated that the x-ray imaging of the laptop cannot be publically released and that makes a world of difference.
March 24, 2008 9:17 PM
Wow,
I'm really impressed by the TSA's diligence in dealing with this issue, although I'm a little surprised that the TSA doesn't have a process for screening new technology products before issues like this happen. It seems like the companies that produce these items wouldn't have a problem notifying you of their new products, as it would lead to a better experience for their customers (i.e. not having to spend extra time being searched at the airport). Just my thoughts. Keep up the good work!
March 24, 2008 10:04 PM
I'd just like to mention that TSA will probably start seeing a lot more SSD's on laptops. It's the next trend and I know several vendors are shipping machines with those types of storage devices.
March 24, 2008 10:47 PM
Bob, there are a few other computers with SSD drives instead of Hard Drives. So, it's not just the MB Air.
I have an eeePC and it is small, light and devoid of Hard Disks. I've been through TSA screening twice with it without problem.
So, it's still a question as to why the MB air would be flagged.
Also, as more and more laptops get SSD drives you guys are going to have to be aware that this is a common trend.
March 24, 2008 11:55 PM
Attention! Sensitive information is included following this link. Only Bob, TSA staff or anyone capable of Googling "MacBook Air Inside" are allowed to view the following link: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac/MacBook-Air
March 25, 2008 12:14 AM
Anonymous said...
I'm still wondering why they choose to use a non standard video format (Windows Media WMV) for a blog that is read by people with a cross section of computing platforms in regards to a post about a computer platform (OSX) that can not play said video format with a default installation. Great work guys!
Simple, most of the computers out there are Windows boxes. Windows Media player are on most of those boxes.
If we are to believe the hype, Mac and Linux users are smarter than people on WinD'ohs and are capable of installing a Windows media player or another program that is capable of playing WMV.
I guess in your case the hype was not true.
March 25, 2008 12:56 AM
Anonymous said:
I'm still wondering why they choose to use a non standard video format (Windows Media WMV) for a blog that is read by people with a cross section of computing platforms in regards to a post about a computer platform (OSX) that can not play said video format with a default installation. Great work guys!
Here's a breakdown of the traffic to all of the TSA.GOV web properties for March 2008 (as of this date). This data is from our WebTrends on Demand service.
BROWSERS:
IE - 78%
FIREFOX - 16%
MOZILLA - 5%
SAFARI - 0.7%
PLATFORM:
WIN XP - 75%
VISTA - 12%
MACINTOSH - 7%
WIN NT - 2%
WIN 98 - 1%
FYI... further down the list fall:
LINUX - 0.42% and
iPHONE - 0.27%
It would seem that based on the traffic to the TSA.GOV websites (and blog) only a very small percentage of visitors would not be able to view videos in the WMV format.
-Neil
TSA Blog Team
March 25, 2008 11:38 AM
Thank you for following up and providing information for TSO's as well as the public. As I read the blog I see that people do not always agree with your answers or statements but at least you care enough to give information. Your integrity and honesty are truly admired.
March 25, 2008 1:05 PM
Neil wrote: "It would seem... only a very small percentage of visitors would not be able to view videos in the WMV format."
The TSA is institutionally incapable of understanding the concept of anonymity, that browser identification strings are able to be changed, or that the whole world doesn't rejoice in Microsoft's spew.
It's the curse of total bureaucracy. They cannot think independently.
They cannot conceive that, since there are many sites that work just fine with Opera, Konqueror, Lynx etc. and/or Linux, yet will disable functionality if the browser correctly identifies itself, many of us alter the identification string so that we are not discriminated against by such enlightened sites.
So if it says "FireFox on Win2K", well golly gee that must mean exactly and only what it says.
After all, any inconvenience is for your own good. It says so right here in the TSA manual.
March 25, 2008 1:31 PM
Bob - you should mention to your workforce that there are 2 different models of the Air - one with a solid state drive and one with a regular hard drive. And as other commenters have mentioned - it would be very useful to note that more laptops are shipping with solid state drives, not just the Air.
March 25, 2008 2:48 PM
Bob Robertson said...
They cannot conceive that, since there are many sites that work just fine with Opera, Konqueror, Lynx etc. and/or Linux, yet will disable functionality if the browser correctly identifies itself, many of us alter the identification string so that we are not discriminated against by such enlightened sites.
@Bob:
Ah, dude, I get it. I run the "User Agent Switcher" plug-in on my Firefox Portable browser. Our site doesn't care what browser you use, we're gonna serve you the same page.
Users that change their UA like this aren't likely to spoof their platform (Mac at 7%). And I don't know why Safari users would switch their UA.
-Neil
TSA Blog Team
March 25, 2008 3:04 PM
Hey Bob- just wanted to say thanks a lot for noticing the concern, looking into it, and helping to work on smoothing out issues people were running into. I don't personally own an Air (yet), but it's great to know that you're listening- the fact you folks run this blog is a great idea too- thanks!
March 25, 2008 3:07 PM
March 20, 2008 6:22 PMPhil said... When you folks, as new TSA'ers, are told about some seemingly-nonsensical policy like that, do you speak up and ask for an explanation, or just blindly follow? I've been in work situations where thinking is encouraged, and I've been in work situations where you're expected to keep your mouth shut and your brain empty when some muckety-muck speaks.
Phil,
We are encouraged to speak out. We have different outlets such as our internal Idea Factory where the workforce has an open forum to suggest anything. We also have employee councils as well as a National Advisory Council that reports workforce issues directly to various levels of leadership.
March 20, 2008 7:03 PM Phil Said…And one other thing: Bob, you said in your video that these laptops look completely different from others because they use a solid-state drive. The MacBook Air comes with either a traditional hard drive or a solid-state drive. The part that differs is 2.5" wide by about 4" long and about a quarter-inch thick. There's no way it makes the whole laptop look different to an x-ray machine. Give me a break.
Phil,
You ask me to give you a break, but have you compared a normal laptop to a MacBook Air on an X-ray? I have. They are different and there are a few features on the MacBook air that could catch a TSO’s attention. I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it.
March 20, 2008 8:36 PM Aaron said... While not getting into a timeline, the original post makes it clear he's an experienced traveler who would have made his flight had the TSA not held him up. You're nitpicking words and avoiding the issue here.
You also didn't address my question as to why a security screener would want to see the MBA run a program. Is that actually an approved security procedure? If so, why? If not, why would a screener insist on it?
The other question you didn't address -- why wouldn't a simple (and fast) explosives residue test have sufficed in this case? Why would an unknown computer require the attention of 10-20% of the security agents at the checkpoint?
Aaron,
You are correct that Mr. Nygard may have made his flight if not for the additional screening, but if Mr. Nygard is an experience traveler, should he not have known to plan for unexpected occurrences at the checkpoint? There are many details I don’t know about the incident, so I don’t want to sit here and speculate. He may have been late, he may have been rebooked with a really tight window to make his flight, I don’t know…
TSOs are not trained to power up any electronic devices. Again, I don’t know all the details, but after following all of the procedures in the SOP, a Supervisor may have made the call to power up the MacBook.
Lastly, we have a certain order to our procedures for different situations and I’m assuming an Explosives Trace Detection (ETD) test was conducted. I have no way of knowing from reading Mr. Nygard’s article.
March 20, 2008 10:49 PM SeeSaw said... Bob: I liked your tie. My interest peaked.
SeeSaw,
You’re OK in my book!
March 21, 2008 5:09 AM Seeker said... I'm absolutely delighted to see this level of personal interaction between the TSA and its customers. Any chance a similar personal approach could be done with removing the names of people wrongfully or mistakenly placed on the TSA no-fly list?
Seeker,
I don’t have the answer to that question, but you’ll be happy to know that the subject will be addressed on the blog very soon by a subject matter expert.
March 21, 2008 2:38 PTrollkiller said... So we have Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers, Velma Dinkley and Scooby-Doo. You guys figure out who's who.
I’m not skinny enough to be Shaggy, but I do sport a goatee. Like, Yikes!!!
March 21, 2008 5:29 PM Qthrul said... Bob, Now, if only the airlines could just put peanuts and drinks in those long security lines...Thanks, Jay
Now that’s a good idea!
March 21, 2008 6:26 PM Anonymous said... Bob: There are a number of other laptops you need to know about that will raise similar issues as this Apple machine….
Thanks for the excellent information!
March 22, 2008 8:36 AM Anonymous said... Your acting was fine. However I think that the whole thing is pointless without an image to back it up. I think the idea for the message is sound however if the TSA workforce can't see it what is the point. That's who you were addressing right?
You must have misunderstood me. The workforce will be able to see the x-ray images. In fact, training is on it’s way to the field. Due to the SSI status, the X-ray images can only be viewed by those with a need to know, so the flying public will not be able to see the images.
March 24, 2008 1:54 AM Anonymous said... Nice job, Bob! Thanks for paying attention!
I hope my old teachers are reading this. They’d be really proud to know that I’m finally paying attention.
WolfSkunk RedWolf said...
Poor Bob. The guys behind This Week In Tech viewed the video, and made fun of it. One quote: "Oh he's going into the review."
March 24, 2008 11:53 AM Anonymous said... Bob, This blog has made the BIG TIME now... You are featured on TWIT Episode 137 with Jon Dvorak etc. About 1 hour 4minutes into the broadcast! Enjoy!
Anonymous said... The guys at TWiT are laughing at you Bob. http://twit.tv/137
What’s the old saying about any press is good press? I encourage the TWiT guys to frequent our Blog…
March 24, 2008 3:00 PM Carlos said... Nice tie blogger bob!
Obviously a man with good taste…
March 24, 2008 5:55 PM Angel said... Hey "BOB" dont you think people can look at the screens at the airport when they are going thru security? I dont think thats a valid reason not to show the picture.
You are correct; people can get a glimpse of the X-ray screen while passing through security. People can also find instructions on how to make a bomb on the internet. Should we send those out to the masses as well?
March 24, 2008 7:18 PM Anonymous said... I'm still wondering why they choose to use a non standard video format (Windows Media WMV) for a blog that is read by people with a cross section of computing platforms in regards to a post about a computer platform (OSX) that can not play said video format with a default installation. Great work guys!
Just scroll up a little bit and you’ll read the part about us using YouTube. Future videos posted on our blog will be hosted on YouTube. Check out our YouTube page at:
http://youtube.com/user/TSAHQpublicaffairs
March 24, 2008 10:04 PM Anonymous said... Wow, I'm really impressed by the TSA's diligence in dealing with this issue, although I'm a little surprised that the TSA doesn't have a process for screening new technology products before issues like this happen. It seems like the companies that produce these items wouldn't have a problem notifying you of their new products, as it would lead to a better experience for their customers (i.e. not having to spend extra time being searched at the airport). Just my thoughts. Keep up the good work!
This was mentioned before and I think it’s a great idea.
March 25, 2008 12:14 AM Anonymous said... Attention! Sensitive information is included following this link. Only Bob, TSA staff or anyone capable of Googling "MacBook Air Inside" are allowed to view the following link: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac/MacBook-Air
The link does not show X-ray images of the MacBook Air. The X-ray image looks completely different than the internal images that are shown.
---------------
Thanks for all the comments. I’m still working on getting you some answers about SSI.
Bob
TSA EoS Blog Team
March 25, 2008 3:38 PM
Bob,
Your tie is fine. You handled yourself with aplomb in your acting debut and I look forward to more vids from you and TSA.
When I first heard of this problem with the Airbook, my reaction was laughter at another TSA SNAFU. You did an excellent job in clearing this up for us. All I can say is, "Better safe than sorry."
The commenter who stated that, "Security through obscurity is folly," is wrong. Relying on obscurity as your sole means of security is folly, but as a minor component of a security strategy, obscurity is a plus.
I think people just wanted to see a cool xray pic of the Airbook, so their undies are in a twist. =)
March 25, 2008 3:54 PM
lol, they can't show us what it looks like because it's sensitive information? Anyone can get pictures of the inside of a Macbook Air on the internet, and it's not all too hard to get an x-ray of one. I can see why you wouldn't want to show what the x-rays look like, but for anyone who would want to exploit the system of screening by making something look like an Air, it wouldn't be all too hard. Though I doubt it would be successful anyways. Still.
March 25, 2008 4:56 PM
Please, PLEASE take the time to look at some of the products from
http://www.humanware.com/en-usa/home
especially the "Braillenote", and similar products found at
http://www.freedomscientific.com/
These also use non-standard drives, and for many sighted people they are VERY intimidating, sad to say. If you were to confiscate a blind person's specialized computer because it "looked funny", you would have a public relations disaster on your hands. (Not to mention an inevitable lawsuit: these things cost like six grand apiece, or more).
March 25, 2008 5:13 PM
Wow... This video makes me feel even less safe about air travel. It just goes to show how we're light years behind where we should be when it comes to national security.
March 25, 2008 5:28 PM
In response to an anonymous commenter's question:
"I'm still wondering why they choose to use a non standard video format (Windows Media WMV) for a blog that is read by people with a cross section of computing platforms in regards to a post about a computer platform (OSX) that can not play said video format with a default installation"
Neil from the TSA Blog Team wrote:
"It would seem that based on the traffic to the TSA.GOV websites (and blog) only a very small percentage of visitors would not be able to view videos in the WMV format."
Thanks for responding, Neil.
Although this person's question suggests that he or she is concerned specifically with your publication of a video about a machine that runs the Mac OS X operating system in a video format that such a machine cannot, by default, play, the issue is more complicated than that.
You, part of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, chose (unintentionally, I assume) to supply a video not in a format that is free for anyone to use for any purpose without permission, but rather in a proprietary format that, although seemingly not a problem to use, is restricted by a for-profit corporation. The ability to compile Windows Media playback software is restricted by Microsoft, and thus it doesn't happen unless they allow it. Though it's relatively simple for most computer users to acquire such software today, this might not be the case tomorrow. All of this could be alleviated by using open standards.
Alternatives to Windows Media Video that are free as in "free speech" not just free as in "free beer" include Xvid, H.264, and Ogg Theora. These video codecs can be used in a variety of container formats, including AVI, Quicktime, OGM, Matroska, MP4, and 3GP.
March 25, 2008 5:33 PM
zOMG... What if the terrorists get a hold of an X-ray? The world may be doomed!!!
Macbook Air X-Ray
Oh no, it was leaked. We're doomed.
March 25, 2008 6:23 PM
Blogger Bob, here is a site that is giving you kudos for this thread. Just don't read the second to last paragraph.
March 25, 2008 6:27 PM
Neil said, "Our site doesn't care what browser you use, we're gonna serve you the same page."
That's not the issue, Neil. The issue is the use of proprietary WMV movie formats, which was justified by browser statistics.
Browser statistics are not reliable. Therefore, the justification of video file format because of browser identification is invalid.
I happen to think your entire department is invalid, you should all be unemployed tomorrow, and go get productive jobs instead of leaching off of taxpayers. But, since you're not going to do that, at the very least use file formats that are not owned by a company the government you work for has prosecuted for illegal business practices.
Use of such a company's products by agencies of that same government is hypocritical.
March 25, 2008 8:49 PM
Bob Robertson said...
That's not the issue, Neil. The issue is the use of proprietary WMV movie formats, which was justified by browser statistics....
Use of such a company's products by agencies of that same government is hypocritical.
@Bob:
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the WMV format:
In 2003, Microsoft drafted a video codec specification based on its WMV 9 codec and submitted it to SMPTE for standardization. The standard was officially approved in March 2006 as SMPTE 421M, better known as VC-1, thus making the WMV 9 codec an open but still proprietary standard. Since then, VC-1 has become one of the three mandatory video codecs for the BD-ROM and HD DVD-ROM specifications.
So, technical you are correct -- it is proprietary, but it is a open standard that anyone can use without licensing fees. The codec was designed to handle streaming video, which it does very well.
So, Bob, why are you so against an open standard?
-Neil
TSA Blog Team
March 25, 2008 9:56 PM
Bob said:
From this day forward, it’s solidas! Thanks.
It's solidus.
March 25, 2008 9:58 PM
HEY GUYS, WHATS GOING ON IN THIS THREAD?
March 25, 2008 10:28 PM
Hello to Everyone Who Chose to Post Comments...
Americans are about the most arrogant and ignorant people on the planet. Part of the blame falls to the founding fathers who pushed the idea that somehow your opinion matters. You opinion does not matter. The intelligence and competence of your opinion is what matters, not the mere fact that you have an opinion.
The ignorance and self-absorption displayed by many of the posters to this blog reflect badly and encourage the world view that Americans are under-educated and selfish.
The next time you find yourself all worked up by a blog posting, take a deep breath and ask yourself "does the world really care that I disagree with this post?" The answer is always 'NO'.
Go outside. Take a Walk. Do something kind.
March 25, 2008 10:58 PM
My comments inline.
Bob Robertson said...
Neil said, "Our site doesn't care what browser you use, we're gonna serve you the same page."
That's not the issue, Neil. The issue is the use of proprietary WMV movie formats, which was justified by browser statistics.
Bob, Bob, Bob... Baby steps Bob. You can't expect the whole world to change to your favorite OS. If they did then you would have to find a new OS so you could once again prove your computer superiority.
Browser statistics are not reliable. Therefore, the justification of video file format because of browser identification is invalid.
If you are smart enough to change what your computer tells the server it is and what browser you are running, surely you are smart enough to locate a program that will play Windows Media on your OS.
Seeing how you seem to be incapable, here you go. MPlayer
I happen to think your entire department is invalid, you should all be unemployed tomorrow, and go get productive jobs instead of leaching off of taxpayers. But, since you're not going to do that, at the very least use file formats that are not owned by a company the government you work for has prosecuted for illegal business practices.
Use of such a company's products by agencies of that same government is hypocritical.
Are you done with all the "anything but Micro$oft" BS? Love Bill or hate him, you have to admit he took computing out of the basement dwellers hands and into the hands of the people. Sorry if you are not the smartest kid on the block anymore.
Desktop OS market share as of Jan 2008
Windows - 91.46%
Mac - 7.57%
Linux - 0.67%
SunOS - 0.01%
Other - 0.29%
Granted those numbers may be a little bit off but let me know when your OS cracks 2%.
BTW your logic of not using M$ software because the Govt. prosecuted them is pretty flawed. You gripe that the TSA is leeching off the taxpayer, (wasting money) yet you advocate dumping billions of dollars worth of hardware and software not to mention countless paid hours to convert the information over to "non hypocritical" software. (wasting a bunch more money)
If you hate the TSA so much, take that energy to point out the real flaws in the TSA and how to fix them. Pissing and moaning because Bob saved a video in a Windows format is doing nothing to fix the TSA. Besides when the issue was brought up he placed the video on YouTube to make it more accessible. That makes the issue moot.
BTW Bob my company's Net Nazi software blocks YouTube. Would you call me a waaambulance?
March 26, 2008 1:52 AM
Phil said...
A whole bunch of stuff
In response to an anonymous commenter's question:
Very good post Phil. You explained the open source argument nicely. You wouldn't be running for President would you? I would vote for you.
March 26, 2008 1:57 AM
Thanks so much for reviewing this! Bob was professional, well-spoken, and sounded genuinely concerned with both party's experiences. Thanks again for clearing it up.
March 26, 2008 4:06 AM
I don't see why you can't show the image of the MacBook Air x-ray, is it some special secret on what lies inside a MacBook Air. Anyone can access an X-Ray machine nowdays, most security people have their screens facing you to give you a picture.
Or are you just on a powertrip?
March 26, 2008 4:48 AM
Kudos, Bob! Thanks for being so proactive about getting info about the MBA out to the TSA workforce. Does your plan include general education about SSD notebooks, or does it focus primarily on the MBA? A few other SSD products exist and, with anticipated SSD price drops, this will become an increasingly popular option. I plan to swap one into my notebook as soon as a reasonable price point / storage / reliability sweet spot is reached.
I'll close for now and let everyone else get back to their off-topic comments about x-ray machines and wardrobe criticism. :-)
March 26, 2008 5:29 AM
Phil said...
Alternatives to Windows Media Video that are free as in "free speech" not just free as in "free beer" include Xvid, H.264, and Ogg Theora. These video codecs can be used in a variety of container formats, including AVI, Quicktime, OGM, Matroska, MP4, and 3GP.
Thanks, Phil. I am a big fan of open source software the the GPL license specifically. IMO, there will be a lot more use of GPL code in government in the not to distant future.
-Neil
TSA Blog Team
March 26, 2008 7:41 AM
Neil, You used invalid statistics to justify your policy. When that invalid statistic was pointed out, you declare some other unsupported statistic and then insult the messenger.
As for wasting money, that's an astounding argument coming from an employee of a completely redundant and irrelevant agency that wastes $billions.
I was asserting that a non-proprietary video format would be, at least, more rational for a taxpayer-funded agency that is supposed to serve their customers rather than particular businesses. If you want to assume that means I want everyone in the government using OpenBSD tomorrow regardless of co$t, well, we all know what happens when you ass-u-me.
March 26, 2008 7:52 AM
Angel said (March 24, 2008 5:55 PM)
Hey "BOB" dont you think people can look at the screens at the airport when they are going thru security? I dont think thats a valid reason not to show the picture.
Sure, people can catch a glimpse of the x-ray...but in the few seconds that an image is on the screen nobody knows what they are looking at, and there is no time to "study" the image. Look all you want....
To TROLLKILLER
Thanks for setting that one dude straight on the computer mumbo jumbo...not that I understood any of it, but it sounded good.
March 26, 2008 10:05 AM
"Trollkiller", I didn't justify _my_ not using Microsoft proprietary formats based upon the government's inane prosecution of them for effectively negotiating contracts.
I stated it is hypocritical for a government agency to deliberately use such a proprietary file format when that same government has prosecuted the owner of that format for being a monopoly.
Either Microsoft's large domination ("monopoly") of the commodity OS market is bad, or it's good. The Justice department thinks it's bad, the TSA uses that same market dominance as rationalization for forcing everyone else to use their products.
I didn't even say I agreed with the prosecution of Microsoft. Your assertion that I somehow hate Microsoft is called "projection".
March 26, 2008 11:12 AM
Phil said it best.
The Mac Book Air omes in two flavors - either a traditional disk drive, or with a solid state drive.
I'd imagin that the difference that this makes in an x-ray is that where normal laptops have platters that you can see, the mac book air, in the right configuration, does not.
The other difference which I would have thought would be more interesting to the TSA, is the size and position of the battery.
I'm surprised that you made no mention of the battery at all, esp. considering that it is not user servicable.
March 26, 2008 11:34 AM
March 25, 2008 3:54 PM Anonymous said... When I first heard of this problem with the Airbook, my reaction was laughter at another TSA SNAFU. You did an excellent job in clearing this up for us. All I can say is, "Better safe than sorry."
Thanks for the kind words. I completely understand that on the surface, this all seems ridiculous. It’s like when you hear a story on the news about a checkpoint being evacuated due to a fruit-cake. While the media has a blast with stories like this, TSA employees nationwide shake their head because they can think of several legitimate reasons why this might have happened.
March 25, 2008 6:27 PM Trollkiller said... Blogger Bob, here is a site that is giving you kudos for this thread. Just don't read the second to last paragraph.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 26, 2008 4:06 AM Vonni said... Thanks so much for reviewing this! Bob was professional, well-spoken, and sounded genuinely concerned with both party's experiences. Thanks again for clearing it up.
But….What did you think of my tie?
March 26, 2008 4:48 AM Callum Jones said... Or are you just on a powertrip?
If I was on a power trip, I would have deleted your post. :) Scroll up and read through the comments and you’ll se where it’s been explained several times why I can’t show you the X-ray image.
March 26, 2008 5:29 AM Mark Mischke said... Kudos, Bob! Thanks for being so proactive about getting info about the MBA out to the TSA workforce. Does your plan include general education about SSD notebooks, or does it focus primarily on the MBA?
It focuses on the MacBook air, but due to your request as well as others, I have contacted Training with the idea.
March 25, 2008 6:23 PM Anonymous said... zOMG... What if the terrorists get a hold of an X-ray? The world may be doomed!!! Oh no, it was leaked. We're doomed.
Interesting picture, but not even close to what we see. Nice try!
March 25, 2008 9:58 PM Anonymous said... It's solidus.
Actually, it’s a virgule. :)
March 26, 2008 12:55 PM
Hello
Would like to interview Bob for an upcoming episode of Mahalo Daily
Thoughts?
March 26, 2008 4:52 PM
It seems to me that problems like the one with the MacBook Air could be avoided in the future by having a TSA team evaluate new products as they hit the market, and educate TSOs according to what they learn.
Perhaps by working directly with manufacturers and importers, perhaps working through industry associations, or perhaps through existing review processes like Underwriter's Lab, the FCC, or even Consumers Union.
March 26, 2008 7:02 PM
Big Big News said...
Hello
Would like to interview Bob for an upcoming episode of Mahalo Daily
Thoughts?
You may only interview Blogger Bob if he receives 3 quality ties in advance of the interview. Silk would be preferable but style is more important than material. Something with palm trees on it or hula girls.
March 26, 2008 11:29 PM
The word "Security" in a job title should mean something! So "SSI"--by definition--should mean something, especially to the un-accustomed public. Be thankful that the "Friendly Skies" are being scrutinized. Or maybe YOU could be on a plane where someone brought their "modified" electronics through security.
Think about the "BIG PICTURE" -- instead of just yourself and how "inconvenienced" you may have been for a split second of you life.
PAY ATTENTION!!
March 27, 2008 7:20 AM
Well this comment is for Aaron. I don't know who is asking you to turn on your laptop. I know I wouldn't. Either way. If there is a need to stop an image, and it causes you to miss your flight, it is unfortunate...however;
A: You did not arrive at the airport early enough to allow for time to travel.
B: There was a need that was important
This being said...the safety of the traveling public is far more important than your discomfort and I think this is something that everyone is aware of. Thank you.
March 27, 2008 9:52 AM
"The word "Security" in a job title should mean something! So "SSI"--by definition--should mean something, especially to the un-accustomed public. Be thankful that the "Friendly Skies" are being scrutinized. Or maybe YOU could be on a plane where someone brought their "modified" electronics through security.
Think about the "BIG PICTURE" -- instead of just yourself and how "inconvenienced" you may have been for a split second of you life.
PAY ATTENTION!!"
Oh, You really don't want us to pay attention, especially to the unprofessional behavior. Horseplay, sexual harassment in the workplace, separating children from their parents, damaging personal property, inappropriate remarks, do you really want us to pay attention?
OK. Folks, pay attention, report violations, file complaints, help TSA clean up their security issues.
March 27, 2008 10:03 AM
Anonymous said...
zOMG... What if the terrorists get a hold of an X-ray? The world may be doomed!!!
Macbook Air X-Ray
Oh no, it was leaked. We're doomed.
March 25, 2008 6:23 PM
This xray was not taken on the TSA xray machines, I can tell you that right now. It doesn't look anything like what would appear on our machines. No idea where you got this image, but it's not the same xray image we're talking about. And yes, it does make a difference what machine you use.
Also, "hey guys whats going on in this thread" guy? Old meme is old. gb2/b/.
March 27, 2008 11:38 AM
Bob, your video was great. I am amazed that the general public took such an informative video and public service and all they get out of it is why something is considered sensitive security information and why they can't be shown the x-ray image. The picture here is so much bigger than they can wrap their brains around. Keep up the great work.
March 27, 2008 12:00 PM
Hey, what about the myrid of other PCs that don't have hard drives such as the EEE pc and some Ultra Mobile PCs?
March 27, 2008 12:27 PM
"Hey, what about the myrid of other PCs that don't have hard drives such as the EEE pc and some Ultra Mobile PCs?"
Postings on the Eee forum indicate that they usually go through without a blip. The small form factor, evident connectors, all suggest a cute little notebook.
March 27, 2008 2:57 PM
Thanks for the proactive communication. You guys have a thankless job, but this is the kind of communication that will help.
March 27, 2008 7:09 PM
To this Anonymous person who said:
Think about the "BIG PICTURE" -- instead of just yourself and how "inconvenienced" you may have been for a split second of you life.
PAY ATTENTION!!"
Trust me good Sir, I do. I pay attention to the big picture. Security is no joke, but neither are your civil rights, which are also MY civil rights. It is unfortunately people like yourself who are too quick to surrender your privacy in the name of unproven security (the TSA has yet to prove that it can do the job any better than it was done pre 9/11 ... I'm waiting patiently guys ... anyone? Screener Joe? Chance? Maybe someone who writes those GAO reports that show just how much the TSA misses and just how much the TSA costs??? hmmmm?).
I travel by air frequently. I follow TSA's ridiculous policies to the letter because I do not wish to be bothered, and I have not been bothered. I have, however, witnessed many of the kinds of abuses that people write about -- the yelling -- the "do you want to fly today" threats. You may not have seen this with your own eyes, but it happens -- and frequently.
When it happens to you (and it will), you will be right back here yelling about how the TSA has wronged you. I'll be right here to defend your rights then, as I defend my rights now as well as those of everyone else who flies in this country and who is victimized by the policies of our overreaching federal government.
March 27, 2008 10:11 PM
I for one am glad the Mac Book Air caused this much interest at a security checkpoint. Screening officers make it their job to question anything that looks suspicious or out of the ordinary that could pose a threat to an aircraft or the traveling public in general.
When buying a recently introduced, state-of-the-art laptop, one should expect increased awareness and attention. After all, this is the reason why some people buy the latest and greatest gizmos and gadgets. Heightened scrutiny, especially at a security checkpoint, should not be questioned.
The Mac Book Air is not a typical run-of-the-mill electronics like usual laptops and iPods, thus I believe the screening officers were correct in the actions they took carefully examining a potential threat.
March 28, 2008 1:23 AM
I'm just blown away by how clueless the TSA is. Are you not allowed to watch television? The MBA is on prime time during every other commercial break. This also reminds me of the time I was interrogated at Chicago O'Hare because I was carrying my Psion5 organizer. The screener insisted it was a bomb detonator because it looked like a device used in a James Bond film to blow up a plane. They insisted on "diffusing" my organizer by destroying the memory on it. I received a written apology, but I'm still waiting for the $500 check for the replacement cost, and this incident occurred nearly seven years ago.
March 28, 2008 10:49 AM
You're HOT!!
March 28, 2008 10:59 AM
March 26, 2008 4:52 PM Big Big News said... Hello, Would like to interview Bob for an upcoming episode of Mahalo Daily Thoughts?
Great! This is being set up as we speak.
March 26, 2008 7:02 PM fivetonsflax said... It seems to me that problems like the one with the MacBook Air could be avoided in the future by having a TSA team evaluate new products as they hit the market, and educate TSOs according to what they learn.
Perhaps by working directly with manufacturers and importers, perhaps working through industry associations, or perhaps through existing review processes like Underwriter's Lab, the FCC, or even Consumers Union.
Thanks for the suggestion. We’ve heard this a few times now and I sincerely think it’s a great idea that needs to be looked at. I’ve sent it up the ladder. Of course, I’ll let you know if anything comes of the suggestion.
March 26, 2008 11:29 PM Trollkiller said... You may only interview Blogger Bob if he receives 3 quality ties in advance of the interview. Silk would be preferable but style is more important than material. Something with palm trees on it or hula girls.
My tie made the Yahoo News this week! I think I’ll have it place in a shadow box…
March 27, 2008 10:03 AM Anonymous said…OK. Folks, pay attention, report violations, file complaints, help TSA clean up their security issues.
Exactly. Those of us who are proud of our job and believe in our mission don’t like it when bad apples drag us down. In this blog and countless other message boards I’ve seen TSOs suggest the bad apples get reported.
March 27, 2008 12:00 PM flyer said... Bob, your video was great. I am amazed that the general public took such an informative video and public service and all they get out of it is why something is considered sensitive security information and why they can't be shown the x-ray image. The picture here is so much bigger than they can wrap their brains around. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Flyer. I’m not surprised though. I know and fully understand there are folks out there that don’t agree with our mission and never will. That’s their right and this blog is an outlet for them to express their true feelings. All I can do is try my best to continue to bridge the gap and be as transparent as I can possibly be. Thanks for the kind words…
March 27, 2008 12:27 PM Anonymous said... Hey, what about the myrid of other PCs that don't have hard drives such as the EEE pc and some Ultra Mobile PCs?
To date, we haven’t had issues with other devices, but as I said before, I have addressed the issue with training. We’ll see…
March 28, 2008 10:49 AM Anonymous said... I'm just blown away by how clueless the TSA is. Are you not allowed to watch television? The MBA is on prime time during every other commercial break. This also reminds me of the time I was interrogated at Chicago O'Hare because I was carrying my Psion5 organizer. The screener insisted it was a bomb detonator because it looked like a device used in a James Bond film to blow up a plane. They insisted on "diffusing" my organizer by destroying the memory on it. I received a written apology, but I'm still waiting for the $500 check for the replacement cost, and this incident occurred nearly seven years ago.
Dear Anonymous,
Please watch my video, read the entire article and comments, and read the original article and comments. If you’re still “blown away,” please post a specific question that you’d like to be addressed and I’ll do my best to answer it for you.
Also, the TSA was not around 7 years ago.
March 28, 2008 10:59 AM Anonymous said... You're HOT!!
This person knows what they’re talking about.
March 28, 2008 12:16 PM
Having seen the Macbook air recently on xray, I cannot see why it would have caused much question. Extra screening is done on laptops and it doesn't delay anyone more than a few seconds. If that extra screening causes someone to miss their flight, they arrived at security way too late.
TSA Screener
March 28, 2008 12:16 PM
I'd like to see what happens if Bob sticks the MacAir in his check-in luggage and goes flying around the country. Any guesses on how fast it will go "missing"?
March 28, 2008 1:12 PM
come on the TSA screener was jellous of your HOT and thin laptop !!!!!!
PS i have bean using SSD for over 6 years
and no fuss !!
and your CF SD and other media IS A FORM OF SSD !!!! so whats new !! just the shape!!!
my old ibook i modded to use a 32G CF card as a hard disk with a $1.00 adapter
and just flew form MCI to LAX last month with it and had no problems !!
March 28, 2008 2:19 PM
Not all MacBook Airs have a solid state drive - please do your research.
March 29, 2008 1:02 PM
Gotta wonder why the TSOs were more freaked out this year than last year, when I traveled with my Asus R2H Ultra-Mobile PC (GPS flap, passive digitizer, stylus, no keyboard, no optical drive). Surely that didn't look like any laptop they'd ever seen. It's a wonder Tablet PCs don't give them pause, either; does that digitizer not show up in the screening? It didn't cause me a problem in 2006. Some of the tablets have SSD, as well. Very strange. Anyway, I'm thankful that the TSOs are learning to identify computers. It's a useful skill.
Given that US Customs is known to take computers away from folks if they can't get data off of them on site, I'd toyed with the idea of taking my favorite machine without its hard drive the next chance I get to see another country. I figure Customs wouldn't demand my passwords or want to keep the machine if there's no hard drive to search, but I would still have my security blanket nearby. Now it appears that not having a hard drive when one is expected (since I won't be owning a MacBook Air) could keep me from traveling. I wonder what's next.
March 29, 2008 7:11 PM
Bob,
A suggestion about when you explain why you can't explain something. "it's SSI" does not cut it.
I'm a retired federal procurement officer. I could have told innumerable employees that I couldn't buy something they wanted in the manner they wanted by saying "it's not allowed by the procurement regulations". The response would have been "I don't care, get it for me."
What I did is explain WHY the regs don't allow it. AND, when possible, explain how we could achieve the same result by doing it differently, and inside the procurement regs.
In your case, you could have initially stated "revealing the X-ray image could provide information about our equipment specifics/capabilities so someone could design something that escaped detection" or words to that effect.
Explaining something to a very skeptical audience sometimes means that you need to go out of your way to explain why you can't give additional details. To dismiss your audience with a "it's SSI" insults the intelligence of the audience by telling them "you're too dumb to understand", and makes a skeptical audience even more skeptical.
Win the audience over with forthright information, not a dismissive comment. Sometimes it takes a few extra minutes, but in the end, you earn the other person's respect, not disdain.
March 29, 2008 9:25 PM
Hi Bob,
I'm glad to see the TSA getting into blogging and videos. Your debut was just fine, although I only started the video because I wanted to see an xRay of the Macbook air.
The only complaint I have about security at airports is a small one that isn't that big of an issue. I took my kids to fly on Southwest as unaccompanied minors. They are age 6 and 9. The Southwest agent gave them the big necklaces to wear so they could be identified and told them NOT TO REMOVE THEM until they were out of the airport. Once we got to security they were instructed to remove them and put them through the xray machine. This just caused a slight slow down in line and would have been a little smoother if the agent who gave them instructions not to remove them would have let us know they did have to be scanned.
Like a said, not a huge issue, but a small change here could make the security line go just a bit faster.
March 30, 2008 10:13 AM
Hey Blogger Bob, I just looked at all the videos on the fancy new screening areas. I think from now on you need to do all the videos for the TSA.
I felt like the people in the other videos were trying to sell me time shares or other late night infomercial goodies. I did not get that from your video.
All in all I think you make a better "face" for the TSA, even with that tie. ;-)
March 31, 2008 2:21 AM
I"m now an ExPat. The first trip out was a bad deal when all of my lotion and clipper oil was taken. The second was with my entire family. They search my babies. 2,4 and 6 also me an my wife. I was told they had a code placed on the travel documents because we were traveling oneway. I found that odd. If they had looked at my passport they would have found that I had moved over seas. In addition, when we were in New Yor the worse happen. A guard, best I can call here, refused my wife the use of her pen. It was really a bad deal especially when she requested the signing of documents that no one else requested.
Point of reference. I was born an American and now feel free in other countries then home. I do not really want to return to go thru the search and confrontations of the guards who need to have customer training. Believe me they treat you as if you are a criminal or worse someone from another country.
March 31, 2008 2:30 AM
Uh-oh. (I can't figure out how to start a new thread; hope this doesn't get buried.)
I am an old dummy. So I use only Macs, for their simple intuitiveness, & by the time I can afford an Air, no worries there.
However! Being a dummy who needs *simple*, I bought a very, very simple, but very weird, new computer to travel with: An OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) XO. Not only does it have no hard drive, the battery is way different, and, worst, it is bizarre-looking: neon green in color just for one. I had planned to take it on my next trip, since it's so light and easy. I could find No mention on your site. Now I'm very worried.
For one, I'll be flying out of Washington National (DCA), which, naturally, is strict. Plus, I'll be on an airline that is Very undependable & unhelpful. Now I'm afraid I'll get hung up & miss the flight, no matter how much extra time I allow.
This laptop was invented, for 3rd world children, by MIT genius Nicholas Negroponte, whose brother happens to be the current Asst. Secty of State, so one would assume his bonafides are unimpeachable.
But. There were only a few of these machines sold to Americans (as part of a donation program), so given their scarcity, plus how weird it looks, are the inspectors going to give me an even harder time that that 'poor' guy who could afford, but not breeze thru Security with a wonderful new Mac!?
(Googling OLPC will show many pictures and specs.)
Hope somebody who can help sees this. Thank you very much.
BTW, except for the stupid shoe business, & the rare grump, I think TSA staff are a whole lot better than the previous, lowest-bidder, civilian security people.
Thank you in advance.
Little Old Lady
March 31, 2008 1:13 PM
Anonymous said Bob, A suggestion about when you explain why you can't explain something. "it's SSI" does not cut it.
I'm a retired federal procurement officer. I could have told innumerable employees that I couldn't buy something they wanted in the manner they wanted by saying "it's not allowed by the procurement regulations". The response would have been "I don't care, get it for me."
Federal regulations at 49 CFR 1520.5 describe what is and is not SSI. 1520.5(b)(9)(vi) reads Any electronic image shown on any screening equipment monitor
This has part of the regulation since 1994.
April 2, 2008 12:33 PM
I love people that come to sites like this and say "It's SSI does not cut it", and demand all the information and details.
Goodness... get a hobby man.
Whether or not they want to release an x-ray of a mac air on the internet has nothing to do with our lives, but wasting their time by making them get x-rays for an airbook when they should be doing something more useful (you thought this blog and your post was the most important thing? ;)) is just silly.
I am working and living in China now, and let me tell you, the fact that they have made a blog and actually RESPOND to posts at all is great stuff - and no... I don't see a slippery slope where we will ever be like China if we stop demanding important images of laptop x-rays... ;)
April 3, 2008 12:51 PM
Ottoatm wrote:
"I [am bothered by] people that come to sites like this and say `It's SSI does not cut it', and demand all the information and details."
"Goodness... get a hobby man."
Some people's hobby is standing up for your rights and helping you to ensure that our government serves us well.
"wasting [TSA personnel's] time by making them get x-rays for an airbook when they should be doing something more useful [...] is just silly."
I don't recall anyone here asked them to get the x-rays. I believe they did that on their own and then told us about it.
The issue at hand is that Bob stated in his video that as a matter of course he could not show us the x-ray image. After I wrote that I didn't "think it's a matter of course that you cannot discuss what some laptop computer looks like when viewed by an x-ray machine -- that's hardly classified information," Chance informed us that x-ray images are considered by TSA to be Sensitive Security Information (SSI) and attempted to refer us to information supporting his claim. In response to more questions from me, Bob, wrote, "it is common knowledge among the workforce that x-ray images are SSI," and "We're going to find an SSI expert to answer your questions." (Two weeks later, we have yet to see those answers.)
As I and others have pointed out that if our national security hinges on people not getting x-ray images of a laptop, then we're in big trouble. TSA should assume that anyone who could do anything bad with such an image will get one. Not showing it to us will slow that criminal down about as much as putting an extra stop light on the road to the airport.
April 3, 2008 1:54 PM
I think a number of blog responders have missed the point. "Bob" was not saying that x-ray images of an MBA are classified; he is saying that he won't discuss the 'areas on the x-ray that could pique some interest.' These are different things.
April 5, 2008 10:15 AM
Someone anonymously wrote:
"Federal regulations at 49 CFR 1520.5 describe what is and is not SSI. 1520.5(b)(9)(vi) reads Any electronic image shown on any screening equipment monitor
"This has part of the regulation since 1994."
Sir or madam, you are mistaken.
49 CFR 1520.5(b) only has five sections. You referenced nonexistent section 9.
The word monitor is not used anywhere in 1520.5. Nor is it used elsewhere in part 1520 -- not in 1520.1, 1520.3, or 1520.7.
In all of part 1520, the word equipment is found only in section 7 (1520.7 is titled "Sensitive security information"), and it is used only in reference to "description of, or technical specifications of, objects used to test screening equipment and equipment parameters," "technical specifications of any security communications equipment," and "locations at which particular screening methods or equipment are used."
April 5, 2008 1:28 PM
Several people noted that anyone walking behind the security screeners' monitors while a laptop is examined would be able to see that Bob feels cannot be published here.
In direct response to Angel's question:
"dont you think people can look at the screens at the airport when they are going thru security? I dont think thats a valid reason not to show the picture."
Bob wrote:
"You are correct; people can get a glimpse of the X-ray screen while passing through security. People can also find instructions on how to make a bomb on the internet. Should we send those out to the masses as well?"
Bob, if instructions on how to make a bomb are public knowledge (as would be the case if they were published on the Internet), how could they possibly be considered Sensitive Security Information? I understand that you might not want to publicize them, but if they're already out there for anyone to see, then you doing so would seem to add only minimal risk.
Furthermore, are you really comparing bomb-making plans with an x-ray image of a laptop? Surely in retrospect you see how ridiculous such a comparison is.
April 5, 2008 1:36 PM
Someone anonymously wrote:
"`Bob' was not saying that x-ray images of an MBA are classified; he is saying that he won't discuss the 'areas on the x-ray that could pique some interest.'"
I suspected that, as well. In fact, after Bob wrote:
"can't get into specifics of course, but there were a couple of areas on the X-ray that could peak some interest for TSOs"
I responded:
"I don't think it's a matter of course that you cannot discuss what some laptop computer looks like when viewed by an x-ray machine -- that's hardly classified information.
"Could you please explain why this is something you cannot discuss?"
Contrary to this idea that it is discussion of the image rather than the image itself that is SSI, Bob later wrote:
"[An image of the insides of the MacBook Air is] not a state secret, it’s sensitive security information. (SSI)"
Bob also wrote:
"It is common knowledge among the workforce that x-ray images are SSI."
Bob also wrote:
"Due to the SSI status, the X-ray images can only be viewed by those with a need to know, so the flying public will not be able to see the images."
Chance of the EoS Blog Team wrote on March 20, 2008 at 12:02 Pacific (Chance's comment was later removed, but I still have it cached in my feed reader):
"The reason we can't discuss or show certain things (such as the X-Ray images) is because they are considered `Sensitive Security Information', called SSI for short.
"SSI is regulated by federal law, under Title 49, Chapter XII, Part 1520--PROTECTION OF SENSITIVE SECURITY INFORMATION."
"We are required by law and regulations to protect information that has been designated SSI. In my office we try to avoid using the designation when possible, in order to ensure the widest possible dissemination, but in many cases that just isn't possible. This appears to be one such case.
"Chance - EoS blog team."
He cited Title 49, Chapter XII, Part 1520 as the source of his belief that these images are SSI.
I thanked him for the prompt follow-up and asked him to specify which paragraphs of the regulation were relevant. In response, he wrote, on March 20, 2008 at 13:04 Pacific (that comment, too, was subsequently removed) that he thought, "paragraphs e-g of 1520.7 may apply to X ray images, especially g." and also cited 49 U.S.C. 40119(b)(1). I quoted those paragraphs, explained my belief that neither they nor 49 U.S.C. 40119(b)(1) was applicable, and asked him what made him think any of them were applicable.
Chance has yet to answer my question.
On March 3, 2008, Bob wrote:
"We're going to find an SSI expert to answer your questions. Stay tuned and thanks for posting..."
We're still waiting for that expert answer.
Why were Chance's comments (first and second) removed? Should the public have to archive the TSA blog independently in case government minders decide to remove more previously-published comments?
April 5, 2008 1:55 PM
Bob,
Nice follow-through on the question about the MacBook Air. As a frequent traveller, it is really interesting to see behind-the-scenes at the TSA.
I really appreciate you doing this blog.
April 6, 2008 2:06 PM
Bob, I think your 45,000 TSO's are STILL waiting on these images. :)
April 9, 2008 3:36 AM
Little Old Lady:
"I bought a very, very simple, but very weird, new computer to travel with: An OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) XO. Not only does it have no hard drive, the battery is way different, and, worst, it is bizarre-looking: neon green in color just for one. I had planned to take it on my next trip, since it's so light and easy. I could find No mention on your site. Now I'm very worried."
I have an OLPC XO as well and had no problem so far taking it with me. In fact, on one of my trips, a TSA staff told me *not* to put the laptop into the plastic bin because he thought it was just a kid's toy. :-) I had to tell him that it is indeed a laptop and he gave the "are you nuts?" look. *grin*. But, then again, it depends on which airport you'd be and who the TSA staff are at the time. I hope you'll have a smooth trip.
Bob, I think Bugs Bunny tie would be awesome.
April 13, 2008 12:01 AM
this is what happens when you put uneducated people in charge of the so called "security".
If you guys are uninformed enough about a laptop then how the heck are you supposed to do your job?!
folks, another great example of your tax dollar at work
April 13, 2008 5:55 PM
Wow, not sure this means or is relevant to anything, but your debut works, kind of Drew Carey'ish.
April 13, 2008 8:32 PM
Had to watch after Leo Laport's comments on it. Love IT
April 15, 2008 6:34 PM
I think its great that they made this blog for people to post comments.I ,myself, support the TSA and understand that somebody could take a liquid bomb in a water bottle, or take a show-bomb onto the plane (thats why they make you take your shoes off).
April 27, 2008 7:58 AM
I also support the TSA, but it's important to see all sides of the issue.
Great article! :-)
May 3, 2008 8:11 AM
Wow - reading the back and forth of SSI -- now that was kind of funny. I think the TSO's should just say that they are not posting the x-ray image because they are not permitted to post them. If they posted the images, they would get flack -- and possibly lose their job -- because someone higher up the chain of command second guessed the TSO's decision to post the x-ray.
The TSO must treat everything as SSI because the scrutiny from everyone above them -- all it takes is someone higher up the chain to have a bad day and bam -- the TSO lost their job.
My personal feeling is that if the TSA thinks an x-ray of a common commercially available device is SSI there are deeper rooted problems within the administration....
May 27, 2008 9:35 AM
medical imaging equipment is very practical basic level medical device,and are widely applied to medical diagnosis service such as perspective detection.
May 30, 2008 10:45 PM
Hi!
First of all, I would like to say that this blog is really good, congratulation!
Nice thread but it's bad we don't see any pictures as proof of it. I think we all would like to see what you've seen! :)
Cheers!
June 12, 2008 11:27 AM
Security has always been a very touchy subject, I like what TSA has done post 911, we have come from pretty much no security at the airports to full alert. I do think we need to investigate into better ways to screen luggage, the new x-ray/ detectors in the market look very promising. Hopefully we'll not have these issues anymore.. by the way, nice blog Bob, keep it rolling!
June 30, 2008 7:09 PM
SSD is the future of the hard drive industry. I hope TSA will become accustom to this new technology as more mobile professionals such as myself will be using this technology.
July 21, 2008 12:33 AM
Whew! Thank you, Bob for your action on this. Last thing I need is a hassle at security.
August 14, 2008 11:33 PM
I have the BEST security advice.
Don't mess with people then
you won't have enemies.
This country needs to worry about our own society and they need to put money into people not worthless technology.If we showed the world LOVE we wouldn't have to worry about anything;)
Thanks
Great work
August 22, 2008 8:00 PM
Dude, you are a were again mentioned on the most listened to technology podcast http://twit.tv/
Im listening right now to podcast TWIT #158 with tech gurus Leo Laporte, John C Dvorak, Tom Merritt, Jim Louderback and Dwight Silverman and you Blogger Bob have an open invitation to appear as a guest on one of their weekly top rated podcasts WHENEVER YOU WANT.
I think only you, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Linus Torvalds command this kind of invitation.
I've heard Blogger Bob jokes at ubuntu events, mac events and windows vista, both sides of the ocean. Youre like the Windows guy in those Mac ads. They can say what they want, you dont choose fame, it chooses you.
Go for it dude.
... be-a-geek-legend.
September 2, 2008 12:00 AM
Hey Bob, I just wanted to let you know that you're a geek legend in the UK now too! :)
September 5, 2008 1:41 PM
I'm so glad the government is doing its part to keep us from the next technology-related scare.
By the way, a search on youtube reveals this things "top secret insides" being projected on a 100ft tall screen in serveral dozen videos. oops. secret's out.
October 3, 2008 5:09 PM
This country is going to be a totalitarian police state before long.
October 24, 2008 8:07 PM
"Nine days on, nobody has been charged with any crime. For there to be no clear evidence yet on something that was "imminent" and would bring "mass murder on an unbelievable scale" is, to say the least, peculiar. A 24th person, arrested amid much fanfare on Tuesday, was quietly released without charge the following day.
March 16, 2009 7:13 PM
Go, Bob! I found your blog via the article in Slate and I completely agree that you're setting a new standard for the way the U.S. Government communicates. Great stuff. And I'm glad to see you've got the right attitude toward your detractors.
April 10, 2009 1:06 PM
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