Above CNN but Below Classified: pulling back the curtain on aviation security policies

摘要

Just before 4th July this year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a terror alert, informing the public of a new low-tech terrorist threat that could defeat America's high-tech aviation security apparatus. To meet this threat, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a new policy whereby air travellers at foreign airports are prohibited from bringing powerless electronic devices on U.S.-bound flights. For some, this alert and policy amendment may look like another case of 'reactive' airport security. Take off your shoes. Toss out the water bottle. Now, power on your phone. Aren't all these cat-and-mouse checkpoint tactics just some bureaucrat's knee-jerk reaction that does little more than frustrate our airport experience? Actually, no.