Americans Accept NSA Metadata Collection but Complain about TSA Airport Searches

American travelers have never been happy with the invasive body searches authorized for use by the Transportation Security Administration. Now, US air travelers have something else to be unhappy about. TSA inspectors have allowed fake explosives and weapons to pass through inspection points at dozens of America's busiest airports. The internal tests were conducted by Homeland Security Red Teams, who are undercover investigators posing as passengers but carrying with them harmful objects. The Red Teams are thus testing the expertise of TSA inspectors by trying to get the forbidden through TSA security checkpoints. According to a recently released Homeland Security Inspector General report, Red Team members got through security checkpoints with potential (often fake) weapons in 67 out of 70 tests. "Upon learning the initial findings of the Office of Inspector General's report,[Homeland Security] Secretary [Jeh C.] Johnson implement a series of actions, several of which are now in place," to address the failures in airport checkpoint security. ~~~~~ In one test, an undercover agent was stopped after setting off an alarm at a magnetometer, but TSA agents failed to detect a fake explosive device taped to his back during a pat down. The Red Team has exposed TSA inspectors before. In 2013, an agent made it through a metal detector with a fake bomb."[Testers] know exactly what our protocols are. They can create and devise and conceal items that…not even the best terrorists would be able to do," then TSA-administrator John Pistole told lawmakers at a 2013 congressional hearing about the Red Team. This time, US officials insist changes have already been made to fix the weaknesses identified by the latest Homeland Security tests. ~~~~~ However, this time TSA agents failed to detect 95.6% of the test items -- almost every single test bomb and gun, according to aviation experts. Pistole admitted to NBC : "It's disturbing news. The question is how we can best mitigate that that vulnerability in a way that doesn't prohibit the free movement of people and goods....That's just something that there's no perfect answer for." Meanwhile, terrorism experts stress that threat levels remain high."There's a continuing drumbeat of interests by terrorist groups whether Al- Qaida or Al-Qaida affiliates to try to bring down a western, especially a US bound aircraft," Pistole said. ~~~~~ But, on another aspect of the national security question, there is great agreement and few complaints. Americans overwhelmingly want Congress to renew the law enabling the government to collect data on the public's telephone calls in bulk. This is despite the fact that Americans are split on whether allowing that law to expire increases the risk of terrorism in the US. When asked about the metadata collection provisions of the now-expired Patriot Act that allow the National Security Administration to collect data on Americans' phone calls, a new CNN/ORC poll finds 61% of Americans think the law ought to be renewed, including majorities of all political parties, while 36% say it should not be reinstated. Republican Senate leaders are working to pass a bill to reinstate the law, despite procedural delays led by Senator Rand Paul, whose presidential campaign appeals to independent voters, younger Republicans, and other surveillance opponents led to the law's expiration at 12:01 a.m. today. But Senator Paul's position and procedural delaying tactics have not endeared him to his fellow Republican Senators. Support for renewal among Republicans is shown at 73%. Democrats agree, with 63% saying the law should be renewed. Independents are just slightly less supportive but back it at 55%, while 42% of Independents would let it expire. Liberals, regardless of partisan affiliation, are most likely to say the law should not be renewed -- 50% say no to rebewal while 48% want to see it renewed. ~~~~~ But, while a solid majority of Americans want the law to be reinstated, about half of them, 52%, say that if the law is not renewed, the risk of terrorism in the US would remain about the same. A 44% minority feel that without the law, the risk of terrorism will rise. Just 3% feel it would decrease. The sense that terrorist risk will rise is greatest among Republicans, at 61%. Among Democrats and Independents, less than half feel the risk of terrorism would increase if the program ended. The poll reveals a wide generational gap about the data collection program. Among those under age 35, just 25% say the risk of terrorism would increase without data collection, but in the 65+ age group, 60% say the risk of terrorism would increase if the law is not renewed. In the under 35 age group, 50% say it should be renewed while 49% say it should not. Among those age 35 or older, 65% want the law to be renewed. ~~~~~ But, President Obama's reviews for handling government surveillance of US citizens are worse than they were in June 2013 when the NSA data collection program was first revealed. Overall, 67% say they disapprove of the President's handling of government surveillance of US citizens, up from 61% in June 2013. Much of that decline comes from his fellow Democrats, 61% of whom approved of the President's handling of surveillance issues in June 2013. That has fallen to 49% in the new poll. Obama fares better on his handling of terrorism generally, 45% approve and 51% disapprove. ~~~~~ Dear readers, these results are interesting for what they seem to say about the tolerance of Americans for the impingement of security measures into their consciousness. Americans will accept the pervasive capture of all their phone and internet activities, even if they wonder whether it is truly effective -- because it is silent, unseen and non-interfering. But, they will not easily accept the body searches and x-rays of TSA inspectors because they are publicly invasive, often humiliating and interfere with travel. Nevertheless, American travelers have endured TSA searches because they thought they were useful. At a 4% effective rate, TSA may have used up Americans' patience. Once the metadata sweeps are reinstated, TSA should prepare to deal with Americans' disgust and find a better way to provide air travel security.