Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Egregious Security Measures Nominees

28/03/2003

Nomination 5

http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a=2002/8/6/92628

Airport Screeners Order Mom to Drink Breast Milk By Carl Limbacher Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2002 10:27 a.m. EDT

In the latest in a series of airport security nightmares, a woman flying from New York to Florida was forced to drink three bottles of her own breast milk before being allowed to board a flight at JFK International Airport - in an incident that has one prominent New York civil rights attorney ready to sue.

Elizabeth McGanny of Oceanside, N.Y., called WABC Radio's Curtis Sliwa and Ron Kuby Tuesday morning to relate the story.

Guards at JFK's Delta terminal first "patted me down and made me take my shoes off," McGanny told the morning radio duo. "One security guard took my 4-month-old out of my arms and then they went through the baby's diaper bag."

There the guards discovered the three suspect bottles, McGanny said, and promptly ordered her to drink the contents.

"I'm not drinking that. It's breast milk," she replied. "They said, 'Either drink all three bottles or you're not getting on the plane.'"

McGanny said that when she asked the guards why they were putting her through the ordeal, they explained, "There could be explosives in the baby bottles and I could throw something at the stewardesses."

"I asked them if I could just taste it; if I could just show them how you would check a baby's bottle - that it was warm milk and everything. And they said, 'No,'" ordering her to "drink it all."

The nursing mom then offered to feed the milk to her baby as the guards looked on, but they refused.

After hearing the tale, Kuby, who doubles as one of New York's most-celebrated civil rights attorneys, suggested that McGanny call his office.

"How much money do you smell here?" Sliwa asked his radio partner.

"If I get a jury of nursing mothers - a lot," Kuby replied.


Nomination 10

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=MRJEL2LCC3Q4CCRBAEOCFEY?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2259081

Cologne at Airport Brings Rash of Quarantines

Thu February 20, 2003

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - An innocent spray of cologne from a Saudi Arabian college student caused authorities in Philadelphia to quarantine a hospital emergency room, a doughnut shop and a drug store on Wednesday, officials said.

The incident began at Philadelphia International Airport around 12:45 a.m. EST, when the 22-year-old man arrived at a security checkpoint while trying to make a flight to Saudi Arabia after a day of travel problems spawned by a major snowstorm.

The student's visa was fine, the FBI said later. But airport security asked him about a container of liquid in his luggage. While trying to show that the container was a bottle of cologne, the man inadvertently sprayed its aromatic contents on two airport security guards, officials said.

"First he sprayed himself," said FBI special agent Linda Vizi. "It was merely to demonstrate that he had cologne."

But the action prompted airport security to issue a code-red hazardous materials alert, which brought FBI agents, city police officers and hazardous materials specialists from the Philadelphia Fire Department rushing to the site.

Fearing the cologne could be a harmful biological or chemical agent, authorities sent the two guards to a nearby hospital, which quarantined its emergency room for three hours until what hospital officials referred to as "the unknown substance" could be identified as cologne.

Two city police officers, who also came into contact with the cologne while examining its container, later went off to a doughnut shop and a 24-hour Rite Aid pharmacy in Philadelphia, officials said. When authorities found out, they ordered both stores shut for 45 minutes until the analysis was complete.

The Saudi student, whom authorities did not identify, was questioned by the FBI and released without charges.

"We were able to verify his status, and the fire department was able to verify that what he had was cologne," Vizi said.


Nomination 12

To whom it may concern --

Here's a nomination for the "Stupid Security" award. I would prefer that I remain anonymous as the person who submitted this.

The University of Texas at Austin has refused to release information concerning its surveillance cameras, such as location, recording times, and cost of the cameras. The information was originally requested by the Daily Texan, the student newspaper of UT-Austin.

The university's rationale for not releasing the information was "national security."

The University is suing Attorney General Greg Abbott, who demanded (in support of the Daily Texan request) that the information be disclosed to the newspaper. (Abbott campaigned with a pledge to uphold open government.)

Here's one of the first articles about the controversy:

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/01/21/3e2d015c860b5?in_archive=1>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/01/21/3e2d015c860b5?in_archive=1

The most recent article, published today, says that the judge in the case is likely to throw out UT's lawsuit against Greg Abbott, for lack of evidence -- the university apparently couldn't produce any evidence that national security would be at risk if the information were disclosed:

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/02/24/3e5a26358f63e>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/02/24/3e5a26358f63e

Nomination 15

http://www.nelegal.net/articles/index.html

THE NOMINATION FROM MOSCOW ILLEGALS ON PRIVACY INTERNATIONAL'S "STUPID SECURITY" COMPETITION ======================================================

Ladies and gentlemen!

Let us introduce you the heavyweight challenger from Russia to win ÒStupid securityÓ competition. Its name is Moscow propiska, a special permission to be in Moscow for foreigners and even citizens of Russia.

Propiska is a kind a modern slavery, has a long history, and big money and politics are involved. Now Moscow authorities call it registration but it is pretty the same thing. Propiska was invented in 1932 by Stalin and getting even worst nowadays. Propiska seriously violates freedom of movement and other basic human rights. Russian authorities playing democrats signed all papers to meet the requirements of the international law and promise to abolish propiska many years ago but have not done this yet.

Moscow mayor Mr. Luzhkov explains existence of Moscow propiska as a main security measure against terrorism and crime in Moscow and says that propiska exists in all progressive Western countries. Is he telling the truth? The Chief of FSB (former KGB) named propiska checking as a primary measure to prevent crime and new terrorist acts in Moscow.

If you have visited Moscow last years you could see militia checking Moscow registration almost at every corner, street, and metro station. Usually foreigners feel very secure looking at this. We have to disappoint you, it is a wrong feeling. Moscow greedy and corrupted militiamen in their majority are real criminals. You will understand it when they stop you and demand a bribe. We have evidences that militia robs foreigners even in the center of Moscow on the Red square and around the Kremlin.

Usual price is $1-3 for Russians and $10 and more for others. If you are carrying a gun or a bomb or have non-Slavic face - prepare little more money. The real registration might not help you. If militia needs money urgently, for example, to buy some vodka, they can tear up your papers and just take away all your money.

Government pays militia ridiculously small salaries, around $100 a month. High ranked Moscow authorities and militia generals are often asked: ÒWhy donÕt you stop corruption and bribery in militia?Ó Usually they answer: ÒBe real and generous! Is it possible to survive in Moscow with $100 a month?Ó

Here is one anecdote:

Militia recruit is asking: ÒHow much are you going to pay me?Ó

ÒDonÕt ask us such stupid questions anymore. You will get a uniform and a gun. Please, help yourself.Ó

Real income of an average militiaman is more than $1000 a month and trying to rich this amount of money keeps him busy entire day. Even when he is waking from or to a job or on vacation militiaman stops people and checks their Moscow registration hoping to catch a, so called, nelegal (illegal resident of Moscow).

Some statistics: There are 26,812 policemen in London, 36,673 - in Tokyo, 40,000 - in New York, In Moscow - more than 150,000.

In 2002 Moscow militia officially registered 163,418 crimes, other words - one crime per one militiaman in a year. At the same time Moscow authorities say that militia is filled only on 70% and demand more human resources.

It is extremely hard to get an official registration in Moscow. You need to fill out a lot of applications, collect many signatures and permissions. According different sources you are responsible to get a registration in 3 or 10 days after arriving to Moscow.

This is even theoretically impossible because registration department (pasportnyi stol) works only 2-3 hours a week and you have to wait hours and hours in a huge line. In addition, any official may refuse you without any explanation. It is much easier to buy a fake or even real registration or pay few dollars every time when militia stops you. There are hundreds underground offices in Moscow where you can buy necessary papers. Yes, you are right; registration department workers also get small salaries. The value of the market of fake registrations in Moscow is estimated in 30-60 million dollars.

How about real terrorists and criminals? DonÕt worry about them, they already bought a real Moscow propiska and do not afraid any encounters with militia. It is not a secret that Nord-Ost terrorists had valid Moscow propiska. We have not heard yet about any real terrorist or criminal who was arrested after checking Moscow propiska. This is an absolutely useless and stupid security measure. The first thing Bin Laden is going to do if he could ever visit Moscow is to pay $100 to corrupted officials and get propiska.

Because of Moscow propiska millions of innocent people are suffering. There are about 3 million nelegals by official reports in Moscow. The majority of them are citizens of Russia. Every day more than one million people are arriving in Moscow from suburbs and other towns. All of them are subject for violations of human dignity and humiliations by militia. Last few years 30-40 min. before departure of a train or plane militia has been closing entrances and checking everybodyÕs propiska. Citizens prefer to pay them some money other than to be late to boarding.

People without Moscow propiska are treated as low-grade and can be insulted and robbed without any consequences. Specially if you have non-Russian face or skin color your life is going to turn into hell. There is no any Russian left who personally or his or her close relatives or friends have not been robbed by Moscow militia.

In 1999 Luzkov deported hundreds of innocent men without propiska from Moscow and scares to do this again and again. Recently Moscow authorities ordered militia to visit every apartment in Moscow to check Moscow propiska of tenants. If you do not open them they may just knock out the door. Luzkov asked Muscovites to inform local militia every time when they see an unknown person in the apartment building.

It is very difficult to get a job in Moscow without propiska and you will receive only about a half of a regular for Muscovite salary.

Without propiska you can not get full public medical aid, your children can not attend Moscow public schools and kindergartens.

If you have enough money you can buy an apartment in Moscow but without propiska you don't have the right to live in it.

All of the above-mentioned refers to Russia own citizens. For foreigners the situation got much worst particularly after signing the new citizenship law in 2002.

Because of the situation in the capital of Russia the number of foreign tourists visiting Moscow for last 12 years has been dropped from 5-6 million a year to 200-300 thousand a year and only desperate Russian women without Moscow propiska hoping to merry a foreigner keep up some tourists' traffic.

Thousands of talented high educated engineers and scientists had to leave country because, of Russia specific, almost all facilities where they can work are located in Moscow. Athletes, artists, dancers are not an exception.

On our web site nelegal.ru we collected thousands articles and evidences of stupid security facts in connection with Moscow propiska (registration).

No doubts, our Moscow authorities and particularly mayor Luzhkov with his anti-terror initiative are the dumbest authorities in the whole world! Terrorizing millions of innocent people trying to catch few real terrorists is a real stupid security measure.


Nomination 18

According to a page 2 column in the Feb. 17 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, some American troops heading for Iraq were transported on commercial airliners. They were not allowed to carry their knives, because of security regulations, but were allowed to keep their firearms. If this is true, it almost has to win.


Nomination 26

At the US Internal Revenue Service, contractors who have held high level clearances for years are forced to have all possessions x-rayed every morning, while government employees who are less than a year out of college (University of Aruba) can breeze through on the presumption that they are not a source of risk when both given the same security background checks. The background checks of course are performed by, [wait for it] Contractors!


Nomination 37

Dear Sir,

I am a British airline pilot operating shorthaul services in Europe. Whenever I report for work at any of several airports in the UK and on the Continent I am searched as rigorously as any passenger. I am forbidden to have any nail-clippers, for example, in my briefcase or luggage (I can only cut my nails when back home at the end of my working week). At one airport in Germany crews reporting for work have to disembark from their bus, go through the usual semi-strip/scan procedure and then get back on their bus. The bus driver and his bus, meanwhile undergo no check whatsoever before passing airside. When this matter was raised with our company the response was that this was the agreement between the airport and the German trade union and it could not be changed.

Once on board the aircraft, securely locked away on the flight deck, I have an axe behind me, which is there for evacuation purposes in an emergency, but which could easily be used to kill the other pilot. Should I, however, feel too lazy to get out of my seat before inflicting mayhem, I could simply point the aircraft at the ground on final approach before the other pilot could react. Alternatively, a hard kick on each of the rudder pedals, one after the other, at cruising altitude could cause the aircraft to break up.

I appreciate that you need concrete names and places for this award, and I applaud your desire to highlight the insanities of the "security" industry, which takes a perverse delight in picking on pilots to demonstrate how even-handed it is. Unfortunately, such is the unquestioning, McCarthyite attitude towards security amongst airline management, I am not prepared to risk my job by naming myself, my airline or the lax airport in Germany. Good luck.


Nomination 42

I would like to nominate some of the policies held by the school I attend, the Wayne County Career Center in Smithville, Ohio. This school has many security policies which are totally ridiculous, most of them centering around their use of student ID's. Their student conduct handbook states that all students must wear an their ID badge at all times within the building. The stated purpose for this is to make sure that only authorized personnel are in the building. So far, that sounds like a policy that makes sense, except for the fact that it's being applied to a school in a rural area which has about a 0% chance of being accosted by terrorists.

A few weeks ago my friends and I were in the cafeteria eating our lunches, and it came time for us to return to our classes. My friend Bryon had left his ID tag in his lab, and the cafeteria monitor saw this and immediately confronted him about the tag. She asked him who he was and then sent him to his lab to get the tag and bring it back to her without any supervision. In other words she allowed a potential "unauthorized person" out of her sight to roam the building freely. As an experiment, we tried this a few days later, where we made up the story that one of us had left our ID's in our locker. When she asked about it she was given a fake name and the friend who did this never returned to produce an ID tag, and nothing happened as a result of this. I won't say who it was that did this, because I don't want them to get in trouble.

Another instance of ID tag stupidity occurred earlier in the year. I walked in to get my lunch, in the cafeteria, without my tag on. I had just taken it off so that I could eat without it falling into my food (they make the students wear them on these really long necklaces. You have to use the necklace they provide, or they make you buy a new one). I was of course accosted by the cafeteria manager almost immediately. She asked if I had my name tag, and I showed it to her and put it on. I later took it off so I could eat, and she accosted me again. I put it back on again, but wrapped it around my belt, so that it was clearly visible, but not in my way. When I got up to put my trash away, she again, accosted me about the tag, because it wasn't around my neck. To me, this is ridiculous behavior, as she knows who I am, it was obvious that I do in fact have a tag, and therefore am authorized to be there. She's not the only teacher that does this sort of thing, and I am not the only person she does this to, but she is by and large the most ridiculous of all the staff in regards to enforcing this, and I don't want to speak on the behalf of others, so that they may submit their stories themselves.

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