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Why Is the TSA Scanning Paper?

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Re: Why Is the TSA Scanning Paper?

#11

Kansas City Airport doesn't use TSA screeners, they have a private contractor doing the screening: https://www.tsa.gov/for-industry/screening-partnerships That said, it seems like this policy is likely a TSA imposed pilot program: https://thepointsguy.com/2017/05/paper-products-new-tsa-secu...

I don't believe this is true, how does one tell? They appear to be TSA agents, in the blue uniforms with the TSA badges

Re: Why Is the TSA Scanning Paper?

#12

Okay, tin foil hat time. Maybe they have new machines that can see the print through the paper, and actually scan and store the contents of all these papers in a timely fashion?

not impossible: http://news.mit.edu/2016/computational-imaging-method-reads-...

but probably not ready for use in airports yet, either.

Re: Why Is the TSA Scanning Paper?

#13
post #6

I flew out of MCI (American Airlines) on Sunday evening, confirmed this definitely happened. They asked for books, papers, notebooks, etc. However, I disagree with one point in the article: I didn't witness them "scanning" the documents with a scanner. They went through the Xray machine in a separate bin, much like your laptop does. Perhaps I missed something.

Agreed. "Scanning paper" has spying implications. They are just xraying it in its own bin.

They seem to like dense things to be in their own bin. Books are pretty dense.

Re: Why Is the TSA Scanning Paper?

#14
post #6

I flew out of MCI (American Airlines) on Sunday evening, confirmed this definitely happened. They asked for books, papers, notebooks, etc. However, I disagree with one point in the article: I didn't witness them "scanning" the documents with a scanner. They went through the Xray machine in a separate bin, much like your laptop does. Perhaps I missed something.

scanning as in screening. not scan to pdf.

Re: Why Is the TSA Scanning Paper?

#16
post #9

Because blobs of paper look to similar to blobs of potential explosives when xrayed. They arent scanning it so much as removing it from the scan of everything else.

Do you know that to be true? Or is it that paper and/or ink blocks scanning and you can hide bombs in it?

It is the cellulose in the paper. Blocks of it are homogenous enough that they look similar in density to something dangerous. Add in ink, glue and other materials commonly soaked into paper and the situation is not totally unreasonable.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrocellulose

Re: Why Is the TSA Scanning Paper?

#17

Because blobs of paper look to similar to blobs of potential explosives when xrayed. They arent scanning it so much as removing it from the scan of everything else.

Blobs of explosive normally have a chemical composition that is different from blobs of paper in a way that a X-ray scanner would detect.

If somebody created an explosive that could pose as paper for X-ray, that would be noteworthy.

Re: Why Is the TSA Scanning Paper?

#18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. "Scanning paper" has spying implications. They are just xraying it in its own bin.

They seem to like dense things to be in their own bin. Books are pretty dense.

Maybe someone got caught with a lead-lined hollow book concealing a weapon?

Re: Why Is the TSA Scanning Paper?

#19

Kansas City Airport doesn't use TSA screeners, they have a private contractor doing the screening: https://www.tsa.gov/for-industry/screening-partnerships That said, it seems like this policy is likely a TSA imposed pilot program: https://thepointsguy.com/2017/05/paper-products-new-tsa-secu...

I don't believe this is true, how does one tell? They appear to be TSA agents, in the blue uniforms with the TSA badges

It's true. Turns out blue shirts can be worn by just about anybody.

Here's a story from last summer about the private security at Kansas City Airport: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article79795177.html

Re: Why Is the TSA Scanning Paper?

#20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe this is true, how does one tell? They appear to be TSA agents, in the blue uniforms with the TSA badges

It's true. Turns out blue shirts can be worn by just about anybody. Here's a story from last summer about the private security at Kansas City Airport: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article79795177.html

Good find!
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