Does Airport Security Even Work?

WIRED

WIRED Senior Editor, Security &amp; Investigations and Incognito Mode host Andrew Couts speaks with Senior Writer Lily Hay Newman to thoroughly pat down the the premise of airport security, answering a question we've all thought at one time or another: is this layer of security even effective?  Director: Efrat Kashai Director of Photography: Brad Wickham Editor: Louis Lalire; Matthew Colby Host: Andrew Couts Guest: Lily Hay Newman Line Producer: Jamie Rasmussen Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas Production Manager: Peter Brunette Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark Camera Operator: Mar Alfonso Gaffer: Niklas Moller Sound Mixer: Sean Paulsen Production Assistant: Shanti Cuizon-Burden Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin Supervising Editor: Erica DeLeo Assistant Editor: Andy Morell

Transcript

00:00When you go to the airport, you're likely being surveilled more than anywhere else in

00:03your life.

00:04Airports are really where the trade-offs between security and privacy come into focus.

00:10In 2015 and 2017, Homeland Security found that TSA failed to stop mock explosives 95%

00:17of the time.

00:18So are these current safety measures truly effective?

00:20This is Incognito Mode.

00:28One thing that we assume is just part of flying is going through a body scanner.

00:32But body scanners have only been in place since 2010.

00:35That's not really that long ago.

00:37And they're really only there because of one guy.

00:39In 2009, a man accused of being a terrorist flew into Detroit on flight 253, packed with

00:44powerful explosives in his underwear.

00:46The man attempted to detonate the bomb while the plane was descending into Detroit, but

00:49it only caught fire and didn't actually explode.

00:52This man flew from Yemen to Nigeria, to the Netherlands, and then to the United States,

00:57and at no point was he detected.

00:59It's for this reason that we all have to go through body scanners.

01:02So what do TSA agents see when you go through a body scanner?

01:05Technology that can see under your clothes.

01:07Until 2013, some body scanners used X-ray, which made a very clear image of your nude body

01:13every time you went through.

01:14And TSA agents were able to see this.

01:16They've since discontinued the use of the X-ray body scanners, and now use a version that

01:20obscures any sensitive areas on your body.

01:23The types of body scanners now in use are millimeter wave scanners.

01:26Instead of showing your real body, privacy software creates a 3D doll-like image and then flags

01:31areas that agents might need to check.

01:33Have you ever gone through one of those and then an area of your body gets flagged and

01:38checked for like no apparent reason?

01:41Sometimes the machines aren't working or the line for the machines is too long.

01:46So then, you know, an agent will just let a bunch of people arbitrarily go through a metal

01:51detector, which is what they used to use, and then just as arbitrarily they say, okay,

01:57that's all, and everyone else continue going through the scanner.

02:00So all of these things just make you wonder, what are we really catching here and how airtight

02:07is this security?

02:09It's really hard to prove that something is working because of the absence of something,

02:15and yet it feels intuitive, like we're pretty sure like this has to be doing something,

02:19right?

02:20Like knowing that you're going to go through all the surveillance and pat-downs or whatever

02:23when you go to the airport has to be a deterrent to somebody somewhere.

02:28Like there's probably been some terrorist attacks that didn't happen just because nobody tried

02:32because these systems are in place, right?

02:35This is a valuable tool in like a security toolbox, but it can't justify all intrusions

02:44into privacy.

02:45So like we can understand that there's some amount of that that is valuable and productive,

02:50but it doesn't necessarily mean just anything goes.

02:53We still want to think about the balance of, well, what is that measure that is having a deterrent

03:00effect and is it worth the trade-off?

03:05You may have seen in the headlines recently that facial recognition is expanding to more

03:10and more airports.

03:12Facial recognition is one form of surveillance that relies on biometrics.

03:15Biometrics are your personal identifiers.

03:17Think your face, fingerprint, anything about you that's inherent to who you are.

03:21And that's why people are so concerned about biometric surveillance.

03:24Those are things you can't change, can't hide, can't do anything about.

03:28You can imagine how bad it is if somebody gets your social security number, but now imagine

03:31they have your fingerprint or your iris scan.

03:33And that's when it gets into new uncharted territory.

03:36Once an entity has that data, that's you forever, right?

03:41If that organization were to misuse that data or if it's stolen or whatever could happen,

03:48once it's kind of out of your control, there's a potential privacy risk that just sort of endures

03:53through your whole life.

03:54So why is this a big deal?

03:55Well, it used to be that all these databases were disparate, they didn't all communicate

03:59with each other, they didn't all share the same data, but that's starting to change.

04:03We're going to have a big giant database of everybody's photos, everybody's identities,

04:07and the fact of the matter is we don't really know how these systems could be used in the

04:10future.

04:11One of the first rules of privacy and security is to limit the creation of data in the

04:15first place.

04:16And so facial recognition is just another way of creating more data about you that could

04:19eventually be abused.

04:20People have said for a long time, well, what's the point of declining, you know, whether it's

04:27a face scan or other types of data collection, the government already has all my data anyway,

04:32right?

04:33For many years, the sort of response to that was, well, in the US, you know, the way the

04:41federal government is set up, each agency's data is siloed from the others.

04:46Even if you had given data to one agency, or particularly like a state level agency, that

04:52doesn't mean all the federal agencies or the whole federal government has that information.

04:57You know, both sides of the aisle, like, that has been viewed as a really fundamental right.

05:03At times, there have been initiatives to try to do like a universal ID within the US where

05:10sort of like all the checks and everything would be built into this one card or document

05:16or whatever.

05:17But there was always pushback to that, again, on both sides, but particularly from Republicans

05:21saying, I don't want the government in my business.

05:24I don't want a like central point of control of knowing who everyone is.

05:29And that's why it has largely remained a state's directive.

05:33But now, like you're saying, there's really a movement away from that in this very sort

05:39of casual, like, well, now this is happening and all federal data is being centralized kind

05:44of way, completely ignoring the fact that there's been literally decades of debate about this.

05:50In November 2024, a bipartisan group of 12 senators that includes Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders signed

05:56a letter asking the TSA for more information about how they're going to conduct oversight

06:00of the expanding use of facial recognition at airports across the United States.

06:04The senators warn that soon hundreds of airports will have facial recognition, but they also

06:08say people aren't aware that they're able to opt out.

06:11You're allowed to tell the TSA, no, I don't want to be subjected to facial recognition.

06:14But the senators say they've received reports of travelers encountering belligerent TSA officers

06:18who don't want to allow them to opt out, which is their right to do.

06:22When a bipartisan group of senators sends the TSA a letter like this, you can tell there's

06:25broad concern over the oversight of TSA facial recognition systems.

06:29The fact that the senators even had to send a letter like this just shows that there's

06:33very little information about how effective these systems are.

06:36Even though things seem to be moving in this direction right now, where all this data seems

06:42like it's being stockpiled more and more by the federal government, it's still worth

06:46being thoughtful, you know, declining anything you want to decline or you feel that you can

06:53because there can still be value in that.

06:56And you kind of never know which way the wind is going to blow and what's going to happen.

07:00The data minimization concept still applies.

07:03If you've been to like a major airport recently, you've probably had somebody come up and be

07:10like, hey, do you want to sign up for Clear?

07:12Do you want to skip the line?

07:13Yeah, exactly.

07:14And then who doesn't want to skip the line?

07:15But this isn't a government agency that's operating the system.

07:18This is a system called Clear and it's run by a third party company.

07:22An alternative to Clear is the TSA pre-check program, which is basically the same thing,

07:26but it's run by the US government.

07:28What is the deal with Clear and why is there more issues with a third party company kind of doing

07:33this instead of just the US government?

07:35Well, when something is a third party, like a private company, consumers may not have control

07:42over what happens to that data.

07:44Either right away, like you've had your face scanned by this entity and then maybe a company

07:53is selling it to a third party or sharing it with a partner, things like that.

07:58But there's also been a lot of situations where over time, a company that holds data is then

08:06acquired by another company, goes bankrupt or merges with another company and the data

08:13starts to change hands and change hands.

08:15So something like Clear, short term, it's a way to get through airport security faster,

08:21but you're entrusting this durable, non-changeable, you know, biometric information with an entity,

08:30you know, you don't know where that will lead over time.

08:34Clear works by scanning various biometrics about you.

08:37That includes your iris, your fingerprint, and now they're starting to move into full facial

08:41recognition.

08:42In exchange for using Clear, you're able to get through the line more quickly and the company

08:45claims that using the facial recognition technology will speed up things even more.

08:49Clear's privacy policy says that it will share your information with the government.

08:53If authorities issue a subpoena, the company may also share your information in connection

08:57to an investigation into potential illegal activity.

09:00You're also trusting the company to safeguard your data and you don't really have much

09:03insight into how the company is doing that.

09:05Clear is not subjected to public records laws, and that means it's a lot harder to get information

09:09about how the company is storing your data, treating that data, and that they're not abusing it.

09:14Clear says, what is it, in 10 minutes or something, you can, you know, just sign up

09:19here and you can walk right through.

09:20So it really raises the point of that security screening, taking shoes off, taking the laptop

09:27out of the bag, all of those things.

09:29Is that really keeping us safe if we can so easily skip it?

09:35Yeah.

09:35And it's also normalizing the acceptance of additional surveillance in exchange for convenience.

09:42It's not even exchange for security necessarily.

09:44It's just in exchange for getting through the line faster.

09:46I think that's a great point.

09:48You know, like we were saying, we as a society kind of created this challenge of long waits

09:55at airport security.

09:57And now, look, here's this private company that will solve it for us.

10:01So the worst case scenario I can see here is kind of already happening.

10:04Like, Clear is not just at airports.

10:06It's in stadiums.

10:07It's in arenas.

10:08And so we're already starting to see this company's mission creep out into the rest of

10:13the world.

10:13And it's becoming tied to the profits of a private company that we have absolutely no

10:18control over how they're going to conduct themselves.

10:20It's one thing for it to be the government where you have some say in it, in a representative

10:24democracy like we live in, in the United States.

10:26Whereas a private company, you just have no control.

10:28They're going to do whatever they're going to do.

10:30And mostly they're going to do whatever's going to make them the most money in exchange for

10:34our privacy.

10:34And so it's going to become increasingly invasive.

10:40Anytime you go to an international airport, you are technically entering a U.S. border

10:45zone.

10:45This means your devices might be subjected to warrantless searches by customs and border

10:49protection agents.

10:50In January, directly after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order

10:55allowing agents to conduct enhanced vetting of anyone entering the United States.

11:00Trump's executive order empowers border agents to use more aggressive tactics when vetting

11:04travelers coming into the United States.

11:06This might mean pulling people aside into interrogation rooms or searching their devices.

11:11For example, in early 2025, a French scientist was allegedly denied entry because a border agent

11:16found text messages on his phone that were critical of Trump and his science policies.

11:21Now, when you're at an airport, TSA isn't allowed to search through your phone.

11:25It's only CBP officers that have the authority to do so.

11:28While people have become increasingly concerned about having their devices searched at the border,

11:32studies show that since 2021, there's only been a 0.1% increase in device searches.

11:38I would say a large number of the inspections that we have here do not include any electronics

11:43whatsoever.

11:43Is it within our authority to search those items?

11:46It is, but we use our discretion when we're looking to use that search parameter.

11:51So historically, there's no huge cause for concern, but that could change.

11:55And when we're talking about these device searches, there's kind of two levels of a search.

11:59One is the agent just literally looks through your phone and, you know, some of the advice

12:04is make sure it's on airplane mode or make sure you just turn it off and stow it away

12:08so they don't think of the search it in the first place.

12:10The other is a lot more invasive.

12:11Can you talk about that?

12:12CBP agents could run like more detailed digital analysis on it, potentially even remove some

12:20of your data or, you know, copy your data off your phone.

12:23It gives them more ability to kind of map out like your accounts and start to understand

12:30potentially what other data you have stored elsewhere.

12:33So that's why that first check, you know, when we talk about what might be suspicious,

12:40what might raise some red flags, because you're in that first search that you're talking about,

12:47just sort of a casual flipping through.

12:49You want everything to look cool and just look chill because then it doesn't need to

12:54progress beyond that.

12:55So if a CBP officer wants to search your device, can you say no?

12:59Well, it depends on who you are.

13:01If you're a U.S. citizen, you can absolutely deny a search of your device.

13:05Your device might be confiscated.

13:06You might have some delay, but you'll still get in the country.

13:09If you're a green card holder, you may face some types of immigration consequences

13:13for denying a search of your device.

13:15For visa holders, they may be refused entry and have their visas revoked.

13:21From the moment you enter a terminal till you go to board your flight,

13:25you're likely being subjected to surveillance from hundreds, if not thousands, of cameras.

13:29That's something you've probably already thought about.

13:30It's an airport.

13:31Of course you're going to be monitored.

13:32But the number of cameras seems to be increasing at international airports.

13:35At LAX, for example, they recently upped the number from around 1,000 to around 3,000 cameras.

13:40And they had plans to expand that surveillance to the 10-mile perimeter around the airport.

13:45But it's not just the number of cameras.

13:46These devices are also getting enhanced capabilities, such as AI analytics,

13:50that monitor crowd behavior, individual behavior, unauthorized areas, and loitering.

13:55It's very hard for humans to grasp when we are being surveilled by video surveillance nonstop.

14:05And I think the incorporation of AI into all of these systems,

14:11it's even harder to grasp the depth of the analysis and information

14:17that can be extracted in near real time about just any footage that's coming in.

14:23So our instinct is to kind of think, well, OK, even if we can understand there's all those

14:29cameras everywhere, which is hard enough, then it's like, yeah, but nobody can be watching

14:34everything all the time.

14:35But AI actually makes it more possible.

14:38Let's say an AI system, this can happen anywhere, but an AI system in an airport determined that

14:45you were acting suspicious, like, oh, Andrew has a suspicious walk in the terminal today.

14:51You know, that is a very subjective decision.

14:54So, you know, as AI is integrated into more and more systems, these are the types of things

15:00that we all need to be aware of and be conscious of and be, you know, making proactive decisions

15:06as a society rather than just allowing things to kind of drift where they will.

15:11We should address that.

15:12We shouldn't just leave that.

15:13Airports weren't always like this.

15:19It's only since the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks that the U.S. really ramped up security

15:24at airports.

15:25TSA's 2025 budget is $11.8 billion.

15:29And according to one poll, three in four Americans say they trust the TSA to keep them safe.

15:34Is it important to take measures to keep everybody safe?

15:37Of course.

15:38Absolutely.

15:39Security is paramount, especially at airports.

15:41But do we really need to be throwing out our water bottles every time we go through airport

15:45security?

15:46Maybe not.

15:46There may be other ways to do this that are better both for our security and for our privacy.

15:51A big criticism of TSA and airport security checkpoints is that they aren't really effective

15:58a lot of the time and that the core thing that's happening is what's called security theater.

16:05This ruse to make everyone feel better that isn't necessarily doing anything.

16:10Yeah, whether the TSA is popular or not, I don't know.

16:13But people definitely want good security at airports.

16:16If it's achieving that goal, that's great.

16:19I think it's hard to know whether it's actually achieving that goal.

16:22And so I think that's problematic on two fronts.

16:25One, because that raises the possibility of something bad happening and it making all

16:30of the surveillance and intrusions that we're subjected to at the airport kind of for not.

16:34And the other is that we're giving up a ton of privacy to have something that's not really

16:40working the way that it should.

16:42And so I think there needs to be a lot more clarity in terms of how effective each and

16:47every system and process that the TSA subjects the public to is and whether or not it's actually

16:53increasing our safety or whether it's just making us feel better.

16:56Yeah, and I think that's a really good point that it isn't all or nothing.

17:00Each component can and should be evaluated to see how effective it is.

17:06Some could be taken away.

17:07Some could be added.

17:08It doesn't have to be in one direction or the other.

17:11But if we're going to kind of create a problem and a whole industry around airport security,

17:18it needs to actually be accomplishing the goal.

17:22You know, it's important to say that like a lot of this in the U.S. came from the September

17:2711th attacks.

17:28And so there was like a real tragedy and a real reason behind all of this concern and

17:35trying to step up security.

17:37But just because there's a good reason to consider or reconsider the security of something

17:44and how you implement that, you know, it doesn't necessarily mean that where things have

17:49landed is the best way.

17:50Yeah, exactly.

17:51And I mean, I am very sympathetic to people being OK with surveillance to avoid terrorist

17:57attacks.

17:57I mean, we both lived in New York City on September 11th.

18:00We are filming this right now in the World Trade Center.

18:03The footprints of the old World Trade Center are literally right behind us.

18:07And so, you know, we're well aware of the consequences of security failures.

18:11But that doesn't mean that we need to live in a world where intense surveillance anytime you

18:17travel is just how it has to be.

18:21So what can you do if you're traveling through an airport and you want to protect your privacy?

18:26Unfortunately, there's not much.

18:28But there are a few steps you can take.

18:29One, know your rights.

18:31This is going to change depending on who you are, what your immigration status is, and exactly

18:35where you're traveling.

18:36But just make sure you're up to speed on what agents can and cannot do.

18:39Two, use a dedicated travel phone.

18:41This is a device that is only going to have things on it that you're comfortable an agent

18:45searching through.

18:46And third, don't sign up for Clear or other systems like it.

18:49And opt out of facial recognition.

18:50No matter how belligerent the agent gets, you can always say no.

18:53This was Incognito Mode.

18:55Until next time.

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