By Lauren Hammond
Opinion Editor
Current TSA regulations remain a controversial topic in the US and it seems as though violations associated to the program are only getting worse.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the governmental agency responsible for providing travelers with the most effective form of protection. The agency was deployed in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York, serving to better the quality of safety and travel throughout the US. However, current TSA practices are in complete violation of people’s rights. Amendment four of the US Constitution serves to protect individuals from unwarranted search and seizures. Yet, several of the TSA programs infringe on privacy and function to dehumanize American citizens.
The TSA currently holds authority to search and seize anyone as they see fit. Under administrative law, these programs are allowed to completely disregard the terms of “probable cause.” Officers of the Behavioral Detection Program, a subdivision of TSA, look for “clusters of behaviors indicative of stress, fear, or deception.” Anyone who is presumed to be showing such symptoms may be unjustly removed, analyzed and interrogated. The practice of completely unwarranted targeting of airline passengers is both inefficient and ignorant, as many people become stressed when traveling. This backwards view of condemning citizens as guilty until proven innocent under inspection continues today, despite the fact that even after 10 years of implementation the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has deemed the program unreliable.
TSA searches have become more invasive since 2001. Airports currently require full-body scans of travelers. Some of the equipment that is used, referred to as backscatter x-ray technology, emanates small doses of radiation that can be harmful for some travelers. The main health concern for travelers passing through the x-ray technology is the development of skin cancer. Passengers that are the most susceptible to ionizing exposure risks are those who frequently fly, such as pilots and children, who tend to be more sensitive to radiation.
However, these scans not only expose the detection of weaponry. The full body images produced by the backscatter x-ray examination also expose the naked outline of travelers. This virtual stripping is demoralizing for many passengers but opting out to these scans may lead to further humiliation. If a traveler reserves their right to refuse the invasive scan, they are then forced to undergo physical searches that may include inappropriate touching. It is disturbing that the government continues to force Americans to subject themselves to various forms of sexual abuse as a requirement to travel.
The TSA’s reach advances far beyond airports. In 2011, the agency announced a new security implementation known as the Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) program. Tennessee has been the inaugural state for this new security launch, which allows for the program to set up checkpoints and randomly search vehicles along the interstates, at train stations and bus and truck stops. This is an illegal, rogue government tactic to invade on the personal freedoms of American citizens. Such protocol is reminiscent of Hitler’s rise in Nazi Germany and should not to be taken lightly. This affects everyone and violates various rights endowed upon Americans by the US Constitution.
The government’s main responsibility is to protect Americans’ freedoms but the abuses probed by the TSA’s illegitimate regimes are denying citizens their liberties. It is imperative that Americans demand back their rights.