Exposed: Secret TSA Checklist of ‘Suspicious’ Behavior

A secret Transportation Security Administration checklist obtained by The Intercept lists throat clearing, whistling and “exaggerated yawning” in airports as suspicious behavior. “Democracy Now!” speaks to Intercept staff reporter Cora Currier, whose new article–co-written with Jana Winter–is “TSA’s Secret Behavior Checklist To Spot Terrorists.”

“Democracy Now!” continues:

The Intercept obtained the confidential document from a source concerned about the quality of the program. The document shows how the TSA identifies potential terrorists based on behaviors that it thinks indicate stress or deception, including “fidgeting,” “whistling” and “throat clearing.” The checklist is part of the TSA’s controversial program known as the “Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques.” It employs specially trained officers, known as behavior detection officers, to watch and interact with passengers going through screening. The TSA has trained and deployed thousands of these officers, spending more than $900 million on this program since its inception in 2007. However, the Government Accountability Office has found there is no evidence to back up the claim that “behavioral indicators … can be used to identify persons who may pose a risk to aviation security.”

— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.