Airport Security Secrets Posted Online

Probe launched after mix-up reveals sensitive information
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 9, 2009 1:45 AM CST
Airport Security Secrets Posted Online
Transportation Security Administration examine carry-on baggage in Houston.   (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Brett Coomer)

The federal Transportation Security Administration is investigating a mix-up that revealed agency secrets relating to airport passenger screening in an online posting. A security manual posted on a government website in March with sensitive information—including technical settings for explosive detectors—redacted was removed days ago when the agency realized that copying and pasting the redacted portions revealed the information, the Washington Post reports.

The manual contained samples of law enforcement credentials and says that passengers from a dozen countries, including Cuba, Lebanon, and Iraq, should always be subjected to additional screening. The breach is deeply troubling and the information could be a bonanza to terrorists, although TSA officials stress that the manual was outdated.
(More Transportation Security Administration stories.)

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