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Bush Orders Review of Covert Operations
by R.A. Hettinga 23 Nov '04

23 Nov '04

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 <http://reuters.myway.com/article/20041123/2004-11-23T180231Z_01_N2368286_RT…> My Way News Bush Orders Review of Covert Operations Nov 23, 1:02 PM (ET) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush has ordered an internal review into whether the Defense Department should run covert paramilitary operations traditionally mounted by the CIA, administration officials said on Tuesday. The presidential directive, signed by Bush last week, asks the CIA and the Departments of State, Defense and Justice to report back to him in 90 days on "whether or not the paramilitary operations, currently under the control of the CIA, should be transferred to the Department of Defense," a senior administration official said. The recommendation was first made by the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as part of a package of reforms to overhaul and streamline the intelligence community. Top officials at the CIA and the Pentagon have been cool to the idea of giving the military's Special Operations forces such a large role in paramilitary operations. The CIA's paramilitary units are authorized to carry out the most sensitive covert operations, like the one launched in Afghanistan soon after the Sept. 11 attacks. COMPLEX ISSUE Personnel in U.S. military Special Operations forces, such as Delta Force and Navy SEALs, are elite and highly trained troops who perform special missions, in many cases covert and behind enemy lines. "Since this is a complex issue, we want to study it closely with the intelligence community to better understand it," said a Pentagon spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We don't have any preordained or preferred solutions in mind. We are undertaking the study with open minds. "We have been working formally and informally with the CIA already on this issue. We have a great deal of common ground and agreement with them," the spokesman added. Officials said the interagency review, first reported by The New York Times, would look at whether paramilitary authorities should be transferred in their entirety to the Defense Department. It could also advocate a more collaborative role between Special Operations forces and the paramilitary units of the intelligence agency. They already work together in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders. The leaders of the Sept. 11 commission have been critical of the CIA's covert paramilitary actions, which before Sept. 11 had used local agents with little success to attack al Qaeda. The commission said the joint CIA-military covert operations in Afghanistan after Sept. 11 were successful but still recommended shifting lead responsibility for all paramilitary operations to the better-equipped Pentagon. In the Iraq war, Special Operations troops again figured prominently, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has been a big backer of the military's special forces. - -- - ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 1308 iQA/AwUBQaOwrMPxH8jf3ohaEQLKQACdEvkoSq6TQlouJwf2Uj0uBzWsrnEAoJgp AiKA+4rhAZZS9VcEXQEQHxki =wOds -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Cybersleuth paints forgers into corner
by R.A. Hettinga 23 Nov '04

23 Nov '04

<http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storyprint.cfm?storyID=3613252> New Zealand Herald Online - Newspaper Wednesday November 24, 2004 Cybersleuth paints forgers into corner 24.11.2004 - By STEVE CONNOR Scientists have created a computer that can tell the mathematical difference between a genuine work of art and a forgery by analysing features invisible to the human eye, paving the way to a new method of art fraud detection. The computer can also distinguish between the contributions of apprentices who collaborated on a well-known masterpiece officially attributed to a single artist. Scientists said the technique meant academics could better understand the hidden contributions of lesser-known artists. The researchers used a mathematical approach, analysing the statistical likelihood that a particular brush or pen stroke was performed by the artist. A similar mathematical approach powered by computer has been used to analyse the words in famous texts to see whether they were the sole creation of a well-known author. Henry Farid, associate professor of computer science at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, said the technique could be applied to fine art thanks to the widespread use of high-resolution digital imagery that collects up to 2400 points of light in a single square inch of canvas. "We have been able to mathematically capture subtle characteristics of an artist that are not necessarily visible to the human eye," he said. "We expect this technique, in collaboration with existing physical authentication, to play an important role in the field of art authentication. "Similar methods have been used to analyse works of literature. "We can find things in art work that are unique to the artist, such as the subtle choice of words or phrasing and cadence that are characteristic of a certain writer." Scientists program the computer with an artist's personal style of painting or drawing, using digital images of masterpieces known to be the work of the same painter. The machine can then decide whether a new work it subsequently analyses is likely to be a forgery. Professor Farid and his colleagues analysed 13 drawings that had been attributed - at least at some time - to Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The computer successfully distinguished between eight paintings known to be by the artist and five famous imitations by contemporary artists, including some by artists who intended to commit a forgery. A second part of the research, reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analysed digital images of the Madonna with Child by Italian Renaissance artist Perugino, who became famous for his altar pieces. The faces of three figures on the left of the painting were found to be the work of one artist, and the three on the right were different enough to be the work of different artists, probably Perugino's apprentices, a common practice in Renaissance art. The researchers say analysing brush and pen strokes mathematically will be combined with other techniques, such as x-rays to see underneath a coat of paint, in verifying a painting's authenticity. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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[ISN] Hackers Pocket W16 Billion in Cyber Cash
by InfoSec News 23 Nov '04

23 Nov '04

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200411/kt2004112315444353460.htm By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter 11-23-2004 The state prosecution on Tuesday indicted two computer hackers and one of their accomplices on charges of stealing cyber money worth 16.4 billion won ($15.3 million) by infiltrating one of the largest online game firms. The Seoul Central District Public ProsecutorsB!B/ Office said the suspects pocketed the largest amount of cyber money ever obtained in hacking crimes. Investigators said the suspects allegedly broke into the online game site to steal cyber cash, which can be exchanged for real money, and sold it to cyber brokers on Sept. 24-27. Prosecutors said that suspects plotted the crime beforehand through closely reviewing the companyB!B/s electronic payment system and conducted practice runs beforehand. They found that the Web site run by the major game company has a loophole that enabled them to manipulate file contents. Before committing the crime, the suspects did a mock hacking via the service and stole cyber cash worth 27 million won in March and June. Prosecutors said they connected to the companyB!B/s information network system 227 times during the Chusok holiday in September. They illegally charged mileage points worth 164.7 billion won through 152 identification numbers that they set up beforehand. The suspects then allegedly traded stolen cyber cash at 750 million won to a broker, identified as Kim, who also raked in a total of 168 million won by selling it to other brokers through e-mails or identification numbers. Prosecutors said the companyB!B/s damages have been minimized because it immediately shut down the use of the identification numbers right after the crime occurred. However, prosecutors did not exclude the possibility that more damages are expected because game mileage is vulnerable to illegal trading and is circulated through the black market between cyber traders. The amount of cyber money they stole, estimated at mileage points worth 164.7 billion won, is equivalent to the amount only after users have spent 16.4 billion won in buying items or using services the company provides. _________________________________________ Open Source Vulnerability Database (OSVDB) Everything is Vulnerable - http://www.osvdb.org/ - --- end forwarded text - -- - ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 1308 iQA/AwUBQaNZbMPxH8jf3ohaEQKEMgCg6TxKkxhn/8P1WfjGq3+wD8olfP0AnRcQ G0KREwbqVESINy5ooxPQsctk =6IT1 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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[ISN] Hackers Pocket W16 Billion in Cyber Cash
by InfoSec News 23 Nov '04

23 Nov '04

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200411/kt2004112315444353460.htm By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter 11-23-2004 The state prosecution on Tuesday indicted two computer hackers and one of their accomplices on charges of stealing cyber money worth 16.4 billion won ($15.3 million) by infiltrating one of the largest online game firms. The Seoul Central District Public ProsecutorsB!B/ Office said the suspects pocketed the largest amount of cyber money ever obtained in hacking crimes. Investigators said the suspects allegedly broke into the online game site to steal cyber cash, which can be exchanged for real money, and sold it to cyber brokers on Sept. 24-27. Prosecutors said that suspects plotted the crime beforehand through closely reviewing the companyB!B/s electronic payment system and conducted practice runs beforehand. They found that the Web site run by the major game company has a loophole that enabled them to manipulate file contents. Before committing the crime, the suspects did a mock hacking via the service and stole cyber cash worth 27 million won in March and June. Prosecutors said they connected to the companyB!B/s information network system 227 times during the Chusok holiday in September. They illegally charged mileage points worth 164.7 billion won through 152 identification numbers that they set up beforehand. The suspects then allegedly traded stolen cyber cash at 750 million won to a broker, identified as Kim, who also raked in a total of 168 million won by selling it to other brokers through e-mails or identification numbers. Prosecutors said the companyB!B/s damages have been minimized because it immediately shut down the use of the identification numbers right after the crime occurred. However, prosecutors did not exclude the possibility that more damages are expected because game mileage is vulnerable to illegal trading and is circulated through the black market between cyber traders. The amount of cyber money they stole, estimated at mileage points worth 164.7 billion won, is equivalent to the amount only after users have spent 16.4 billion won in buying items or using services the company provides. _________________________________________ Open Source Vulnerability Database (OSVDB) Everything is Vulnerable - http://www.osvdb.org/ - --- end forwarded text - -- - ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 1308 iQA/AwUBQaNZbMPxH8jf3ohaEQKEMgCg6TxKkxhn/8P1WfjGq3+wD8olfP0AnRcQ G0KREwbqVESINy5ooxPQsctk =6IT1 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Re: Fallujah: Marine Eye-Witness Report
by John Young 23 Nov '04

23 Nov '04

The Selective Service website unctuously declares there is no draft foreseen at the moment and lists defeat of recent congressional efforts to institute the draft. However, it emphasizes that the agency is required by law to remain at the ready to immediately institute a draft upon notice. As part of this responsibility It polls educational instutitions every 18 months requesting updated information on draft-age youngsters who are receiving federal funding, the most recent of these polls here: http://cryptome.org/sss110404.txt A single harsh attack on US interests could precipitate a draft, and override public opposition in a flash. The military has nearly exhausted it National Guard and Reserve options, and will not give up the long-standing strategic policy of being able to fight two major wars at once. Thus most military resources are tied up not in the Middle East but in pre-positioned locations determined by the 2-wars policy. Whether the US military should forego its 2-war policy and use its forces in ways more appropriate to current threats will be determined by those interest groups who benefit from the horrifically expensive and magnificently wasteful 2-war boondoggle. Two generations of military personnel have been trained for the 2-war threat, and almost none have faced actual combat. This inexperience shows in unconventional warfare. again and again. Big war planners throw big war resources are small targets, take the applause for the phony war show, as in Fallujah, and discount lives lost because the do not show up on big war statistical-casualties diagrams. Big wars expect big losses, far more than volunteers can provide. Indeed, volunteer military personnel -- officers and enlisted -- are careful to throw conscripts into the breech as if they are expendable ammunition, the more thrown the higher the credit obtained in charts of capacity, not charts of smarts. Recall Kennedy embraced the counter-insurgent tool with support for Special Forces, but these forces remain a marginal part of the military, not least because they do not require much material and political resouces to do their duty. Big defense, and never forget, big intelligence to feed the need for big defense, are far superior ar generating contracts, jobs, careers and campaign contributions. The US is totally addicted to profligate, wasteful ineffective big war policy, primarily because there is little risk in parading might, bragging about it, threatening with it, compared to using it. Every application of US military might since WW2 has failed. STF up and pay your taxes, asshole, encourage your sons and daughters to sacrifice for the nation -- well, not really just tell the poor fuckers the military is a good safe job. Don't get drafted, that's for losers. Any road, killing the big war planners at home where they feel safe, is sure to come for their mighty military does not how to fight that war so busy is it parading forces against imaginary wargame-type evil empires of the day.

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"Nonce Stamp": SRI International Receives Security Technology Patent for Paper-based Transactions
by R.A. Hettinga 23 Nov '04

23 Nov '04

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 <http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_vi…> November 23, 2004 08:01 AM US Eastern Timezone SRI International Receives Security Technology Patent for Paper-based Transactions MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 23, 2004-- "Nonce Stamp" Offers Many Applications, Including Electronically Downloaded Airline Tickets, Travelers Checks, Passports, Postage, Legal Documents, and Event and Movie Tickets SRI International, a leading independent, nonprofit research institute known for its pioneering innovations, today announced that it has been issued a fundamental U.S. patent for its "nonce stamp" technology, which can secure and authenticate paper documents against fraudulent creation and use. U.S. Patent No. 6,820,201 covers SRI's information-based indicia technology for securing and authenticating paper documents. The SRI technology addresses the security issues inherent in today's popular "print-at-home" documents, such as postage and movie tickets, which can be readily counterfeited. The recently awarded patent and related pending SRI patents cover an innovative use of a nonce (an element used to protect electronic cryptography systems from being cracked) to protect paper-based documents. The nonce is a unique number preprinted on a forgery-resistant material. When the user wishes to print an article of value, such as a postage stamp, the value of the nonce is combined with other information (e.g., the value of the postage) and a digital certificate is created. The digital certificate, in electronic or printed form, together with the nonce stamp, provides cryptographically secure proof of the uniqueness and authenticity of the certificate. The inventors are laboratory director Patrick D. Lincoln, Ph.D., and staff scientist Natarajan Shankar, Ph.D., of SRI's Computer Science Laboratory. "Most paper currency and other documents that have monetary value include security features to prevent fraud. SRI saw the need to also secure today's popular "print-at-home" documents to eliminate forgery and counterfeiting," said Dr. Lincoln. "Nonce stamps are a way of creating unique physical representations of digital certificates that are easily authenticated and that cannot be forged." About SRI International Silicon Valley-based SRI International (www.sri.com) is one of the world's leading independent research and technology development organizations. Founded as Stanford Research Institute in 1946, SRI has been meeting the strategic needs of clients for almost 60 years. The nonprofit research institute performs contract research and development for government agencies, commercial businesses and nonprofit foundations. In addition to conducting contract R&D, SRI licenses its technologies, forms strategic partnerships and creates spin-off companies. Contacts SRI International Ellie Javadi, 650-859-4874 ellie.javadi(a)sri.com - -- - ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 1308 iQA/AwUBQaNa38PxH8jf3ohaEQJ7fgCeNCYOxu71aVO/mcYxlc4xUJM8cY4AniMB OlniEOrpGN76Go+Qg+ZK65Lu =M9EY -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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[ISN] Hackers Pocket W16 Billion in Cyber Cash
by R.A. Hettinga 23 Nov '04

23 Nov '04

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 - --- begin forwarded text

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Froomkin joins EFF board
by R.A. Hettinga 23 Nov '04

23 Nov '04

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Congrats to Michael Froomkin, AKA Vinnie "The Pro" Bono, an anonymous source of mine on cypherpunks back in the day, before he broke the ice himself, once he realized we weren't all going to be hitting him up for free legal advice. :-). Cheers, RAH - ------- <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/23/eff_griffin_froomkin/print.html> The Register Biting the hand that feeds IT The Register B; Business B; Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/23/eff_griffin_froomkin/ Griffin, Froomkin join EFF board By Andrew Orlowski in San Francisco (andrew.orlowski at theregister.co.uk) Published Tuesday 23rd November 2004 02:29 GMT The future of digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation looks faintly brighter today with the creation of an Advisory board, created to help the group form some effective long-term strategies. Amongst the 12 advisors named are the FSF's Eben Moglen, and Princeton professor Ed Felten. But we're pleased to see two names familiar to veteran Register readers, music entrepreneur Jim Griffin and lawyer Michael Froomkin [home page (http://www.law.miami.edu/~froomkin/welcome.html) - blog (http://www.discourse.net/) of the University of Miami's law school. Froomkin has devoted much of his time in recent years to examining how consensus is formed to provide a legitimate basis for online institutions, penning Habermas(a)discourse.net: Toward a Critical Theory of Cyberspace (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=363840) and although he has used the word "meme" on his blog (tut, Michael, we think you mean "theme" or "idea") he's proved himself a scrupulous and tenacious ICANN watchdog. Former Geffen CTO Jim Griffin, who co-runs the Pho mailing list, is probably the most passionate and articulate advocate of modernizing the compensation framework for the digital distribution of music. We interviewed (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/02/11/why_wireless_will_end_piracy/) Jim back in February, and your reporter drew heavily on Jim's persuasive arguments when giving this talk (http://www.theregister.com/2004/09/23/orlowski_interactive_keynote/) to the music industry earlier this Fall. All credit to the EFF for recognizing that fresh thinking is needed. The group's most notable successes have been on behalf of individuals who've falled foul of the rights' holders ugly use of litigation: such as "DVD Jon" Johansen and Dmitri Sklyarov. But the group has been outflanked at almost every turn by the better-funded copyright lobby. At times it's even managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory: for example in the case of Senator Orrin Hatch. Hatch was so disgusted by the way the recording industry treated artists he threatened to introduce flat fee licenses (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/26/hatch_induce_act/) but was wooed by persistent flattery from the RIAA. He's now one of the staunchest pigopolist advocates. And earlier this year much of the organization's outstanding work on privacy was undone by Brad Templeton 'Google isn't so spooky' (http://www.templetons.com/brad/gmail.html) analysis of GMail, which kindly overlooked the implications of Google's defense of the service: that only machines read your email. As former DoJ cybercrime czar Mark Rausch pointed out here (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/15/gmail_spook_heaven/) that's an invitation for the the FBI to point its machines at your email too, and make the same defense. Ah, what problems, what confusion these techno utopians create for themselves! So not all of the EFF's ineffectiveness can be explained by a lack of resources, or its location: 2,300 miles further from Congress than its rival lobby groups. The organization was born out of the popular technical ethos of libertarianism, in which compromise is distrusted and direct political engagement is shunned for a faith in market forces. And being lawyers, they like to fight cases, naturally. "They like to lose - they feed on the indignation," thunders one reader, who characterizes the EFF as "a bumbling third-rate ACLU with high-tech airs. They're mucking about with some important cases, and every time they lose, we lose." Ouch. While there are welcome signs that the EFF is shedding some of its previously ideologically-hamstrung positions - such as advertising in Rolling Stone, and sending a blogger to the WIPO discussions - there's some way to go yet. The decision to advocate a "voluntary" collective license is going to go safely nowhere, to the contentment of the recording rights holders - as it's a compact that everyone in the world can sign up to except the people who matter. (The rights holders themselves) Still, the new appointments are a welcome sign that new tactics may be deployed. At every turn the tech lobby has been outsmarted and outfought, losing almost every important case it's engaged in, and we now practically have to beg Congress not to detonate our computers. It's going to be a long haul back. Sitting back and praying that either the market, or some as yet unknown emergent phenomena, will take care of things is no longer an option. B. Related stories Dirty rotten inducers - the law the IT world deserves? (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/26/hatch_induce_act/) RIAA praises 'magnificent' P2P (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/16/bainwol_induce_letter/) EFF asks US court to ditch vague patents (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/21/patents_brief_ambiguous/) EFF BOFH arrested (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/03/13/eff_bofh_arrested/) UK Sklyarov protestors picket US embassy (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/08/30/uk_sklyarov_protestors_picket_us/) B) Copyright 2004 - -- - ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 1308 iQA/AwUBQaNDlcPxH8jf3ohaEQJW1ACcC3S7nI7PfVYLrK6MfRLdmhv7vWMAoN8F B3mJI+MKfTSIEDrqcGuEUEQC =6rkQ -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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[IP] Government Uses Color Laser Printer Technology to Track Documents (fwd from dave@farber.net)
by Eugen Leitl 23 Nov '04

23 Nov '04

----- Forwarded message from David Farber <dave(a)farber.net> -----

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We're from the government, and we're here to grope you...
by R.A. Hettinga 22 Nov '04

22 Nov '04

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 <http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/041129/usnews/29marshals.b.htm> USNews.com Home Issues 11/29/04 Nation & World An Intrusive new search Thanksgiving travelers may be in for a bit of a shock as they plod through security lines at the nation's airports. Passengers chosen for secondary screening or whose clothing appears suspicious or bulky are now subject to frisking--in a pretty intrusive way. In late September, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began allowing security checkpoint screeners to manually pat down women's breasts and the genital and derriere regions of both sexes during searches. The point is to find hidden explosives while machines that might perform the job are still being tested. "I know it's not pleasant," says Rep. John Mica, chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, "but until we get the technology, what are the options?" The air marshals hasn't exactly taken off The new policy reflects an increasing sense of urgency about the lack of explosives-detection equipment. Today, only a small percentage of carry-on luggage and passengers is tested for bombs. In its final report, the 9/11 commission said the TSA must give "priority attention" to checking passengers for explosives. In August, two Russian airliners crashed, almost certainly because of explosives two Chechen women had concealed beneath their clothing--underscoring the danger. Complaints. The TSA policy says that passengers can request that the new screening be done in a private room and requires that the frisker be the same gender as the traveler. But graduate student Sommer Gentry, 27, says that male screeners at Boston's Logan International Airport tried to pat her down while a female screener at Baltimore-Washington International Airport roughly jabbed a metal-detector wand between her legs. "How can I feel safe," Gentry said, " when the TSA is ordering me to let strangers put their hands all over my most intimate places?" TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield says the new policy generates only about a dozen complaints a week, but there have been reports of passengers, mostly women, growing angry during searches. The TSA is currently testing machines that could eliminate the need for such frisking, like "trace portals" that blow puffs of air at passengers to dislodge and sniff for bits of explosive material. But it will be a while before the machines are ready for widespread use. In the meantime, the TSA will continue the pat-downs and train screeners to explain the process more carefully. "These are very valid security measures," says Hatfield. "They get at a very specific potential threat." But that's not enough for Gentry. "I am now," she says, "an ex-frequent flier." -Samantha Levine - -- - ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 1308 iQA/AwUBQaJt7sPxH8jf3ohaEQLe1QCg1Fn29ta6DuoUkfFwFwa4W8d0RZsAoIb3 clsWWFX+kMxKx9Pc2I7jVWkG =O4K6 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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