Tuesday, October 12, 2004
I haven't spent much time thinking about ways to evade airport security, partially because the security doesn't really exist, and partially because I don't care, but recently I came across a loophole so ridiculous only the government could think it up (ok and the airlines probably helped).
Anyone who's flown recently knows that you must show your boarding pass and an ID at the security line before they let you in to the terminal. Seems like a good idea, right? I guess it is, although if no weapons are allowed in anyway what does it matter? Well that's besides the point, because now airlines let you print out your boarding pass online from home before coming to the airport. This means that you can, in about 10 minutes, print out a boarding pass to any airport with any name on it or any flight number, by changing the HTML (or even cut and paste and then photocopy it). They don't check the actual info at the security checkpoint, only that it matches your ID (which can also be faked -- ask any 19 year old).
Not that it really matters, because the terrorists, if they strike again, are not stupid enough to utilize the same methods that we're already expecting. They'll just do something that our security people have never thought of.
I want a job at the TSA. It's like being an economist or weather man (or climatologist), except instead of doing nothing, you can spend your time thinking up ways to inconvenience people for no discernible benefit. That sounds like fun.
Anyone who's flown recently knows that you must show your boarding pass and an ID at the security line before they let you in to the terminal. Seems like a good idea, right? I guess it is, although if no weapons are allowed in anyway what does it matter? Well that's besides the point, because now airlines let you print out your boarding pass online from home before coming to the airport. This means that you can, in about 10 minutes, print out a boarding pass to any airport with any name on it or any flight number, by changing the HTML (or even cut and paste and then photocopy it). They don't check the actual info at the security checkpoint, only that it matches your ID (which can also be faked -- ask any 19 year old).
Not that it really matters, because the terrorists, if they strike again, are not stupid enough to utilize the same methods that we're already expecting. They'll just do something that our security people have never thought of.
I want a job at the TSA. It's like being an economist or weather man (or climatologist), except instead of doing nothing, you can spend your time thinking up ways to inconvenience people for no discernible benefit. That sounds like fun.
