[IP] TSA rules on liquids
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Steven M. Bellovin" <smb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: October 31, 2006 8:00:10 AM EST
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: TSA rules on liquids
For IP, if you wish.
Today's Wall Street Journal has an article on the liquid carry-on rules
promulgated by TSA. Much of it is familiar to readers of this list,
including the screeners who don't really understand the rules. One
thing
that I haven't seen mentioned much before is that they're really
concerned
about containers, not just liquids:
To travelers, some of the regulations are bewildering. You can
buy a filled water bottle at an airport shop inside security, for
example, but you can't carry your own empty water bottle through
security and fill it at a water fountain inside security. Mr.
Hawley says there's a classified security reason for that related
to the characteristics of liquid explosives. In addition, X-ray
machines can detect containers, just not what's inside. So getting
all containers out of carry-on bags speeds up security screening.
"As stupid as we may look, we didn't miss that one," Mr. Hawley
said.
...
Mr. Hawley said there is method in the madness of requiring
everything to be in a bag and strictly limiting the size of
containers, not the volume of liquid or gel. Containers larger
than three ounces could pose a threat -- a place to mix enough
liquid explosives to create a bomb. "It's not the ounces. It's the
container we're after," he said.
Oh yes -- Continental and Southwest have quart-sized bags at their
ticket
counters; just ask.
--Steven M. Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb
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