TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story • Hacker News Board

Re: TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story

#11

Post by ChuckMcM » Thu, Mar 08, 2012, 8:00 PM UTC

pavel_lishin wrote: post #4

tylermenezes wrote: post #3

The term "security theater" has been tossed around a lot, but I think it's pretty clearly coming to that. Asking the mainstream media not to cover something like this is completely indefensible from a security standpoint - what, terrorists only learn about security flaws from TV?. It's pretty patently only about keeping their budget. Also, just going to throw this out there, but it is fairly possible that the email i…

It's incredibly suspicious to allude to an e-mail from the TSA, but not actually include a copy of said e-mail.

So you're saying that screen shot [1] of the redacted email was manufactured, or that the source of the redacted email was maybe trolling Jon?

I'm one of those folks that when I see a redacted email like that with most of the identity cookie in it I wonder if one could track down the original. I mean mail.fourtentech.com actually has a web server sitting on it and all.

Anyway, it could be a viralish stunt, but sadly its pretty credible that the TSA might say this.

[1] http://tsaoutofourpants.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/caution_...

Re: TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story

#12

Post by Newgy » Thu, Mar 08, 2012, 8:00 PM UTC

tsaoutourpants wrote: post #7

pavel_lishin wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's incredibly suspicious to allude to an e-mail from the TSA, but not actually include a copy of said e-mail.

I'll be requesting a copy by FOIA... will post on my blog whenever it comes :)

Thank you for your brave work on this issue, you are a true patriot.

"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." -- Samuel Adams, Founding Father

Re: TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story

#13

Post by runn1ng » Thu, Mar 08, 2012, 8:02 PM UTC

To play devil's advocate - he clearly has an agenda and his video is more long and boring political ramblings than something really substantial.

Re: TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story

#14

Post by rickdale » Thu, Mar 08, 2012, 8:02 PM UTC

I remember before they were rolling out the scanners seeing a story run by the mainstream media about how congress had invested large amounts of money in the scanners before they realized how useless they were and now they were going to push really push hard for them to become the norm. I guess they succeeded. It sucks how in America a logical argument bumps heads with a touchy subject.

Re: TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story

#15

Post by high5ths » Thu, Mar 08, 2012, 8:02 PM UTC

DamnYuppie wrote: post #10

I hope the email is fake. Yet I would not be surprised if it wasn't. Most government employees I have met are not really that intelligent. Add that to a bit of power and little to no accountability and you have an instant recipe for disaster.

Why would it be fake?

Re: TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story

#16

Post by bpd1069 » Thu, Mar 08, 2012, 8:04 PM UTC

Overlay a thin layer of material over the metal plate (the dark/black region in the images) that has a regular repeating pattern (think checkerboard) that shows objects suspended beyond the body's silhouette.

Problem solved.

Re: TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story

#17

Post by scelerat » Thu, Mar 08, 2012, 8:08 PM UTC

runn1ng wrote: post #13

To play devil's advocate - he clearly has an agenda and his video is more long and boring political ramblings than something really substantial.

1. Anyone who says they don't have an agenda is lying. Everyone has their reasons for doing anything and everything.

2. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having an agenda.

Re: TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story

#18

Post by Nate75Sanders » Thu, Mar 08, 2012, 8:09 PM UTC

ChuckMcM wrote: post #11

pavel_lishin wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's incredibly suspicious to allude to an e-mail from the TSA, but not actually include a copy of said e-mail.

So you're saying that screen shot [1] of the redacted email was manufactured, or that the source of the redacted email was maybe trolling Jon? I'm one of those folks that when I see a redacted email like that with most of the identity cookie in it I wonder if one could track down the original. I mean mail.fourtentech.com actually has a web server sitting on it and all. Anyway, it could be a viralish stunt, but sadly…

I'm confused. I see something that looks like an email referring to the aforementioned email from Sari Koshetz.

I do not however see an email that looks like anything from Sari Koshetz with or without redaction.

EDIT: I agree with the user "martey" below, though, that this wouldn't necessarily be evidence of anything. It's way too easy to fake this kind of thing. The FOIA request for the email is the way to go. It'll probably find itself conveniently deleted or something, though.

Re: TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story

#19

Post by cafard » Thu, Mar 08, 2012, 8:11 PM UTC

Newgy wrote: post #12

tsaoutourpants wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll be requesting a copy by FOIA... will post on my blog whenever it comes :)

Thank you for your brave work on this issue, you are a true patriot. "It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." -- Samuel Adams, Founding Father

Was the expression "brush fire" current in the late 1700s? In fact, the whole sentence looks a little questionable.

Re: TSA Pressures Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story

#20

Post by ramses » Thu, Mar 08, 2012, 8:11 PM UTC

Harassment and directly attacking Free Speech? ... but somehow I suspect that this was an employee independently acting stupid, and not an institutional policy.