John Tyner, a 31-year-old software programmer, recorded the encounter on his mobile phone and posted it to his blog. From there, it quickly went viral, tapping a groundswell of frustration over TSA's procedures.
But far from backing down, the TSA told local reporters that it's now investigating the passenger, who may face an $11,000 fine if the agency sues him.
"What he's done, he's violated federal law and federal regulations which states once you enter and start the process you have to complete it," TSA's San Diego security director told the Fox 5 News.
Tyner was at the San Diego airport last Saturday with his father-in-law and brother-in-law on their way to South Dakota for a three-day pheasant-hunting trip. Tyner said he checked the TSA website beforehand and didn't see San Diego International Airport on a list of facilities using new invasive scanners that take a strip-search image of passengers beneath their clothes. But once in the security line, he saw that the airport was indeed using the scanners. He was in line to go through a metal detector when an agent directed him through the new body scanner instead.
"There was a certain percentage of people who were willingly going through the scanner," Tyner told Threat Level. "Then, every time the scanner was empty, they would just grab the next person in the line for the metal detector and send them through the scanner."
Due to privacy and health concerns, Tyner opted out of the scan in favor of a pat-down. But when the TSA agent explained in detail the agency's new policy for "enhanced" pat-downs — which includes using the front of hands and fingers to touch passengers in their groin — Tyner balked.
"If you touch my junk," he told the agent, "I'll have you arrested."
rest at http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/11/tsa-investigating-passenger/
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