One of our readers, Tara, reports as follows:
“Apparently those of us with TSA Pre-Check are now going to be subject to random compulsory body scans. Yesterday I was flagged while going through the metal detector for Pre-Check in Akron, Ohio. The agent handed me a laminated green sheet and told me I was randomly selected for additional screening and needed to go through the full body screening machine. When I tried to opt-out I was told that was ‘no longer an option for those with TSA Pre-Check.’”
The TSA originally said that “passengers may generally decline AIT screening in favor of physical screening” but “TSA may direct mandatory AIT screening for some passengers.” Initial reports were that the policy would affect only selectee list passengers. But it took them less than 2 weeks to start applying it to whomever they so choose, including passengers who have gone through fingerprinting, a background check, and payment of fees in order to get PreCheck.
Fighting the TSA in court is expensive! Want to contribute to the fight against TSA assholery? PayPal or Bitcoin: 15ftA2938sp7Mnsi8U7wYVmEtd4BRbFnkT 🙂
Professional Troublemaker ® 
Judge Not Impressed With DHS/TSA’s Warrantless 921-Page ‘Peek’ Into A Suspect’s Cellphone:
All DHS wanted was a warrantless “peek” at the contents of a seized iPhone. The phone, one of three seized from a person suspected of drug trafficking, was examined by the DHS, with the warrant arriving a month later. Now, all of the evidence obtained from the phone is being tossed out.
DHS Special Agent Thomas Wilburt worked with the CBP to detain the suspect, Adamou Djibo, at the JFK Airport. Djibo’s iPhone was taken and examined by Wilburt, who couldn’t seem to accurately recall the details of the examination.
READ MORE:
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20151221/07263833145/judge-not-impressed-with-governments-warrantless-921-page-peek-into-suspects-cellphone.shtml
Not surprising, Jon. None of it is surprising. As you know, I’ve been calling out Pre-Check for the boondoggle it is since 2011. And have been laughing at those who think it’s their saving grace for just as long.
I knew it was only a matter of time before these TSA assholes took away my right to opt-out of getting blasted with sub-millimeter rays. I am glad there is someone like you out there fighting the fight for civil liberties.
EPIC says that, despite this new policy, anyone can still legally opt out and travel. They base this on the binding court finding in epic’s lawsuit against TSA, which court specifically found that an opt out option was a requirement of fourth amendment compatibility.
http://inhomelandsecurity.com/tsa-body-scan-just-say-no-leading-expert-says/
Pre-Check really means nothing, you can be called out anytime for the grope and photo session.
This is absolute horse shit. I have opted out of the invasive and harmful body scans since they were introduced. The MIT Technology Review stated that “although the forces generated are tiny, resonant effects allow THz waves to unzip double-stranded DNA, creating bubbles in the double strand that could significantly interfere with processes such as gene expression and DNA replication”.
The US government is forcing this technology on uninformed travelers, telling them it is “completely safe”. The first time body scanner technology was unveiled, it was in the form of backscatter X-ray scanners. These scanners were quickly exposed to be potentially very harmful to human health and also very invasive in terms of creating what are basically detailed medical scans of human bodies, which are stored away by government agencies for undisclosed lengths of times for undisclosed reasons. TSA employees are INSTRUCTED by their managers to tell ALL travelers this technology is completely safe, despite a COMPLETE lack of scientific data!
When the backscatter machines were finally removed due to public outrage and bad media attention, the government signed a contract with another company that produces “millimeter wave” scanners. These Tetrahertz (note the MIT review of THz waves above) scanners operate above the microwave frequency range, and just slightly below infrared. There is absolutely NO long-term scientific test data regarding human safety when it comes to exposure to these devices. The only scientific data that has been postulated seems to suggest that these devices are potentially very harmful to gene expression and DNA replication, meaning that they could very easily cause cancer or other medical problems with long-term repeated exposure.
I for one think it is my right to opt out of this dangerous and invasive technology. The government is beginning to take it too far. For them to say that I am required to be exposed to a harmful medical device that is not FDA approved in order to fly is borderline tyrannical. As much as I disliked being groped (borderline sexually molested) by a government crony to make sure I am not a “terrorist” when I used to opt out, being forcibly irradiated is even worse. I have donated a small sum to your campaign and I hope this lawsuit goes far enough to force the government’s hand when it comes to violating our rights, though I doubt that will occur since the US government has sold out to corruption long ago. I would love to dedicate whatever resources or assistance you need to your campaign. Please let me know if you need any assistance. I am a strong writer and a social advocate to defend against government tyranny and overreach. I actually considered filing my own lawsuit when I saw this rule change.
Note that the TSA says “some travelers” are now required to undergo the body scan. The rule change was obviously passed with the idea that it would only apply to certain travelers, yet since the distinction is not well-defined by any means, it leaves a grey area where the TSA can simply force all travelers to undergo body scans. I would like to think that certain nefarious elements within our government were not storing the data from these scans for future convenience and intelligence gathering purposes, but time and time again has proven the US government cannot be trusted. A close friend of mine recently flew and asked to opt out (a few days after the rule change) and asked to opt out since he is also concerned with the state of affairs. He was told that opting out is no longer an option and was forcibly irradiated, otherwise he would not have been allowed to fly.
The first thing they will lock down is our transportation and communication (this is true in any case of government takeover or military coup) so that people cannot travel or reasonably organize any sort of rebellion. Next I am sure they will go for weapons. If this principle is allowed to reach its end-game, people will be forcibly subjugated to government rule (even more than they currently are) and civil disobedience will no longer be an option. The status quo is becoming alarming to the point that if resistance does not effectively manifest soon, it will soon no longer be an option. I for one will choose the path of greater resistance, that leads to my sovereignty and freedom from being ruled by evil satanic groups of people who seek to destroy our society…
DHS posts new lies about the REAL-ID Act:
http://papersplease.org/wp/2016/01/04/dhs-posts-new-lies-about-the-real-id-act/