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TSA Wants to Use Bluetooth at Checkpoints to Follow Fliers' Phones

by Caleb Johnson on March 23, 2010 at 05:00 PM

In an effort to make air travel more efficient, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking into tracking travelers' cell phones. Naturally, this has privacy advocates up-in-arms. According to USA Today, the TSA would install a small chip at the entrance and exit of airport security checkpoints. This chip would read the serial number on a handheld device via Bluetooth and record part of it. The chip would also log the time a person entered and exited the line. The TSA claims the resulting data could help improve wait times at airports across the country.

Although only part of a serial number is recorded, and it's quickly deleted, some privacy groups are railing against this technology, which was tested at Indianapolis International Airport last year. "It's serious business when the government begins to get near people's personal-communication devices," American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) privacy expert Jay Stanley told USA Today. However, some devices have the option to turn off the "chirps," or signals sent out containing a serial number. It's possible that many passengers won't even be detected, which was the case at the Indianapolis test run when only 6-to-10-percent of the passengers were tracked.

Sure, we're hesitant any time somebody collects private data from us. But this could be a lot of fuss for no reason. If you're worried about being tracked (or don't trust the TSA to delete the numbers), simply turn off your phone's signal. For quicker airport lines, we'll accept the risk. [From: USA Today, via: UPI]

Tags: ACLU, airport, bluetooth, cellphone, flying, handheld, privacy, safety, security, SerialNumbers, top, travel, tsa

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