-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Aggressive Searches Pat-down Searches/Sexual Harassment at the Airport Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2004 17:44:00 -0500 From: Barry Steinhardt <bsteinhardt@private> To: declan McCullagh <declan@private> Declan, A September 2004 TSA directive granting airport security screeners broad leeway to conduct "pat-down" searches has led to numerous reports of sexual harassment and abuse. Victims -- particularly women-- are reporting that they are not being offered private searches or searches by screeners of the same sex, and that "private" searches are being conducted behind screens that provide no privacy. Passengers are reporting rough, rude, and humiliating manhandling and groping of their breasts and crotch areas, demeaning sexual comments, and being forced to remove business jackets in full view of crowds, despite the fact that it is a widespread convention in our society for women to wear only bras or other undergarments underneath such jackets. The ACLU is assessing possible responses to this policy. In doing so, it is extremely helpful for us to gain a sense of the kinds of abuses that are taking place. If list members have experienced a problem with pat-down searches at airport security, they can help us end this problem by reporting their story at: https://www.aclu.org/Feedback/Feedback.cfm?R=58 For more information on the abuses, Politiech readers might want to look at http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=17104&c=39, where we have collected many of the news stories. All the best on the new year, Barry Steinhardt Director Technology and Liberty Project American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) www.aclu.org _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
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