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An official Transportation Security Authority (TSA) document has leaked, showing the signs that airport security staff are supposed to look for when screening passengers and determining whether a person is likely to be a terrorist threat, or not. Three lists include 17 stress factors, 15 fear factors, and six deception factors worth 1, 2, and 3 points respectively. If a person accumulates four points or more, then they are likely to be considered a possible terrorist threat, and the document stressed that the individual should undergo selective screening.
Critics have hit out, saying that four points is not enough, and that nervous flyers, anxious travellers, and those that simply do not appreciate the security and screening process are likely to be singled out, as the points take a range of factors into account. The document does give details of some instances where points may be deducted, bringing a person’s score down, indicating that older, married couples are less likely to be considered a terrorist threat than young, single people, although points are not added for falling into the latter category.
There are 17 stress factors, each of which would earn you a single point, and are believed to be indicators that a person is feeling unduly stressed. These include arriving late for a flight and avoiding eye contact with security personnel. Excessive nervous movements, exaggerated yawning, and facial flushing during the screening process also merit single points, along with neck arteries that are obviously beating or a repetitive touching of the face, sweaty palms, or excessive body odour.
15 fear factors are used to highlight those people waiting for security screening that might be afraid of being caught. Bulges in clothing, a cold stare, excessive laughter, or showing an unusual level of interest in the security officers, may all see an individual receive two points added to what is essentially a terrorist threat score.
The 6 most serious offences, called deception factors, are those that earn the most number of points, and you will receive three points on your tally if you seem confused or seem like you are in a disguise. If a person does not respond to commands or asks security related questions then they are likely to be considered more of a potential threat too.
The document states that couples aged 55 or over, single women aged over 55, or single men aged over 65 have points removed because they are less likely to be terrorists, but the document states that if a person achieves a score of four or more, then they should be sent for selective screening to ensure that they are not a threat.
The document was leaked to The Intercept, and it is not a classified document. However, this does represent the first time that the document, and its contents have been released to the public, and the TSA has defended the document, by stating that behaviour detection is just one step in a layered approach to security.
Critics have hit out, saying that four points is not enough, and that nervous flyers, anxious travellers, and those that simply do not appreciate the security and screening process are likely to be singled out, as the points take a range of factors into account. The document does give details of some instances where points may be deducted, bringing a person’s score down, indicating that older, married couples are less likely to be considered a terrorist threat than young, single people, although points are not added for falling into the latter category.
There are 17 stress factors, each of which would earn you a single point, and are believed to be indicators that a person is feeling unduly stressed. These include arriving late for a flight and avoiding eye contact with security personnel. Excessive nervous movements, exaggerated yawning, and facial flushing during the screening process also merit single points, along with neck arteries that are obviously beating or a repetitive touching of the face, sweaty palms, or excessive body odour.
15 fear factors are used to highlight those people waiting for security screening that might be afraid of being caught. Bulges in clothing, a cold stare, excessive laughter, or showing an unusual level of interest in the security officers, may all see an individual receive two points added to what is essentially a terrorist threat score.
The 6 most serious offences, called deception factors, are those that earn the most number of points, and you will receive three points on your tally if you seem confused or seem like you are in a disguise. If a person does not respond to commands or asks security related questions then they are likely to be considered more of a potential threat too.
The document states that couples aged 55 or over, single women aged over 55, or single men aged over 65 have points removed because they are less likely to be terrorists, but the document states that if a person achieves a score of four or more, then they should be sent for selective screening to ensure that they are not a threat.
The document was leaked to The Intercept, and it is not a classified document. However, this does represent the first time that the document, and its contents have been released to the public, and the TSA has defended the document, by stating that behaviour detection is just one step in a layered approach to security.