Traveling This Holiday Season? Some Things Have Changed

From the ACLU:

Traveling this Holiday Season? Some Things Have Changed.






Learn more about the practices that you are likely to encounter when undergoing a new TSA pat-down.



You've likely heard that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has rolled out a new screening policy. As a result, many airline passengers are being forced to undergo an extremely intrusive and humiliating "pat down" search that is unlike anything most Americans have ever experienced while traveling.



In the few weeks since the policy came into effect, the ACLU has received hundreds of complaints from travelers who have been subjected to these invasive and suspicionless searches. These complaints have come from men, women and children who reported feeling humiliated and traumatized by these searches and, in some cases, compared their psychological impact to that of sexual assault.



Are you — or someone you know — traveling this week? Here are some important resources for travelers:



>> The ACLU compiled a list of practices that you are likely to encounter when undergoing a new TSA pat-down, based on reports we've received. Share this with your friends on Facebook.

Technology and Liberty






What to Expect When Getting a New TSA Pat-Down

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November 21, 2010

Thanks to a new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) policy, many passengers are being forced to undergo an extremely intrusive and humiliating "pat down" search that is unlike anything most Americans have experienced before.



In the few weeks since the policy came into effect, the ACLU has received hundreds of complaints from travelers who have been subject to these invasive and suspicionless searches. These complaints came from men, women and children who reported feeling humiliated and traumatized by these searches, and, in some cases, comparing their psychological impact to sexual assaults.



Based on the reports we have received, those who are subjected to the searches will very likely experience the following which appear to be "standard practice":



Agents fingering your ankles and running their hands all the way up your legs, including the area between your inner thighs and crotch;

Agents patting your genital area through your clothing;

Agents rubbing and squeezing your arms, back, stomach, buttocks, and breasts with open hands through your clothing. Screeners often run their fingers along the underwire of women's bras;

Agents running their fingers through your hair and the area around your neck and the collar of your shirt;

Agents running their fingers several inches down the waistband of your pants or skirt, often involving touching and/or exposing your bare stomach.

You may also experience what some have reported:



Agents performing these searches in full view of other, gawking passengers, without informing travelers of their right to be screened in private;

Agents touching your genitals through your clothing with shocking and even painful force;

Agents pressing between the cheeks of your buttocks through your clothing;

Agents repeatedly touching the same parts of your body, for no apparent reason;

Agents with demeanors that range from embarrassed or apologetic, to coldly professional, to aggressive and hostile, to creepy;

Being delayed and forced to wait for extended periods of time;

You may be separated from your carry-on belongings, which are often left unguarded while the pat-down takes place. One woman reported being separated from her infant during the pat-down

Who can be subjected to one of these searches? Anyone. Based on the reports we've received, you may be forced to undergo one of these rub-downs if:



You are selected randomly for one;

You set off a magnetic scanner (individuals with artificial joints or other metal in their bodies may undergo these pat-downs each time they fly);

You undergo a full-body x-ray scan, but are told the image indicated something unclear or possibly suspicious;

You are told that your clothing requires a pat-down (reports vary widely as to the clothing at issue);

You exercise your right to opt-out of the full-body x-ray scan, which permits a TSA agent to see through your clothes and view your naked figure;

A TSA agent decides to punish you because you misunderstand them or exercise your right as an American to express an opinion to them.

In fact, in some cases, individuals have reported being subjected to this touching for no reason that anyone explained to them. According to our reports, Children, adolescents, the elderly, and the disabled are not exempt from these invasive searches.



The government should enact procedures that pose the least threat to our civil liberties and are also proven to be effective; embarrassingly intimate pat-downs does not fit that criteria. The ACLU is doing everything it can to end these unacceptable physical searches.



If you have experienced a problem with the full body scanners or pat-down searches at airport security, you can help us end these problems



>> If you think your rights have been violated while you're traveling, please let us know about it by filling out our complaint form.

Think Your Rights Have Been Violated While Traveling?


Tell Us Your Story.

You shouldn't have to check your rights when you check your luggage. If you believe your rights have been violated at the airport, the ACLU wants to know about it. Use this form to share your experiences.



Check the box(es) that most closely describe your experience and use the space below to tell us your story.

I was forced to go through a full-body (AIT) scanner without being advised of an alternative;

I was subjected to an abusive pat-down search;

My laptop, cell phone or PDA was seized or searched;

I was detained for extended periods of time when returning to the U.S.;

I was asked inappropriate questions when returning to the U.S.;

I was treated differently because of my race, religion, national origin, sexual identity or disability;

I was singled out due to the suspected presence of my name on a watch list;

I was denied boarding;

I believe my rights have been violated in another way. Tell your story:



Your contact information:





First Name: Last Name: Email Address: ZIP / Postal Code:

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Disclaimer and Notice

This Survey does not give legal advice, and you should not rely on it as legal advice. You should not rely on the information you get from this site and should speak with a lawyer to get advice on your specific situation. We also cannot promise that the information on this site is complete, accurate, or up-to-date.



This Survey is not an offer by the ACLU to represent you. We cannot promise you that the information you provide will lead to any specific action on the ACLU's part. Once you complete the survey, the ACLU may not do anything—including contact you—about your situation.



If you fill out this Survey, you agree that the ACLU, one of its state affiliates or, if identified as part of the Survey, one of its coalition partners, may use the information you give us, as long as we don’t include your last name, address, email or phone number, for one or more of the following purposes: (1) legislative testimony, (2) litigation; (3) contacting a city, state or federal agency; or (4) telling your story to the public, including posting your story on our website and discussing to with media. If the ACLU, its state affiliates or one of its coalition partners wants to identify any additional information about you, we will contact you prior to doing so.



We will keep your last name, address, telephone number and email confidential unless you give us permission to use it or unless we are ordered to turn it over by a court (although we will attempt to prevent any disclosure).



. . .

>> Take action: Tell the Department of Homeland Security to respect passengers' privacy rights.