TSA Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Leak


This is a news clip which originally ran on Dec 8, 2009 highlighting a leak of the TSA’s (Transportation Security Administration) classified SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) documents over the previous weekend. As first reported on the Wandering Aramean blog and discussed extensively on FlyerTalk (links below) the TSA actually posted the document (on a publically accessible Federal Government website) on March 9, 2009. The TSA SOP was first discovered on Dec 6, 2009 and highlighted on FlyerTalk’s discussion forums. As the news spread independent media outlets picked up on the story. It finally garnered the notice of the mainstream media two days after the leak. What is really of note is the fact that the TSA’s explanation for dismissing the leak (that it was an outdated document that was never implemented) is completely at odds with its reaction. Shortly after being discovered the document was pulled (after normal working hours). If the document was outdated and never implemented then its publication should not have required an emergency reaction. Even more damning however is the fact that the TSA used excerpts from this EXACT SAME document to respond to a FOIA request earlier this year from the Identity Project. Either the TSA is lying now when it says the leaked SOP was never implemented or it was lying when it responded to the FOIA request. For those interested in reading the entire 93 page document, you can find it mirrored online here: cryptome.org Discussion Links