The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) does not have valid
evidence that most of the revised behavioral indicators (28 of 36) used
in its behavior detection activities can be used to identify individuals
who may pose a threat to aviation security. GAO defined valid evidence
as original research that meets generally accepted research standards
and presents evidence that is applicable in supporting the specific
behavioral indicators in TSA's revised list. Original research sources
presenting valid evidence are important because the data and conclusions
they present are derived from empirical research that can be replicated
and evaluated. In GAO's review of all 178 sources TSA cited as support
for its revised list, GAO found that 98 percent (175 of 178) of the
sources do not provide valid evidence that is applicable to the specific
behavioral indicators TSA cited them as supporting. Specifically,
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Seventy-seven percent of the sources TSA cited (137 of 178) are news
articles, opinion pieces, presentations created by law enforcement
entities and industry groups, and screen shots of online medical
websites that do not meet GAO's definition of valid evidence.
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Twelve percent of the sources TSA cited (21 of 178) are journal
articles, books reviewing existing literature, and other publications
that may reference original research in the text, but do not themselves
present original analysis, methods, or data whose reliability and
validity can be assessed.
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Eleven percent of the sources TSA cited (20 of 178) are original
research sources reporting original data and methods. However, 5 of
these sources do not meet generally accepted research standards. Of the
15 sources that meet generally accepted research standards, 12 do not
present information and conclusions that are applicable to the specific
behavioral indicators TSA cited these sources as supporting.
In total, GAO found that 3 of the 178 total sources cited could be used
as valid evidence to support 8 of the 36 behavioral indicators in TSA's
revised list. More specifically, TSA has one source of valid evidence
to support each of 7 indicators, 2 sources of valid evidence to support 1
indicator, and does not have valid evidence to support 28 behavioral
indicators. GAO makes no new recommendations in this report.
The following is some context information (from the GAO report introduction):
Over the past 10 years, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has employed
thousands of trained behavior detection officers (BDO) to identify passengers exhibiting
behaviors indicative of stress, fear, or deception at airport screening checkpoints. According to
TSA, certain verbal and nonverbal cues and behaviors—TSA’s behavioral indicators—may
indicate malintent, such as the intent to carry out a terrorist attack.
These behavioral indicators include, for example, assessing the way an individual swallows or the degree to which an
individual’s eyes are open. According to TSA, such indicators provide a means for identifying
passengers who may pose a risk to aviation security and referring them for additional screening.
Dott. Diego Latella - Senior Researcher CNR-ISTI, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy (http:www.isti.cnr.it)
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The quest for a war-free world has a basic purpose: survival. But if in the process we learn how to achieve it by love rather than by fear, by kindness rather than compulsion; if in the process we learn how to combine the essential with the enjoyable, the expedient with the benevolent, the practical with the beautiful, this will be an extra incentive to embark on this great task.
Above all, remember your humanity.
-- Sir Joseph Rotblat