Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to Hire Angelina Jolie
In the midst of a CBC story about how a consultant went through “door after door” in Toronto’s Pearson airport (“Investigation highlights security concerns at Canadian airports“), we’re treated to these lovely tidbits:
Mark Duncan, chief operating officer for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, the agency tasked with providing security at Canadian airports, says the system is sound.
“Our last public opinion survey showed that 90 per cent of the people were satisfied with the security process. So we think we’ve delivered on the mandate we were given,” Duncan said.
So, I suggest they hire Angelina Jolie. Their satisfaction ratings will go up dramatically. Or perhaps that’s silly, like Mr. Duncan’s assertion that polling the public tells you more about the effectiveness of security than watching an auditor walk through nominally secured doors.
And don’t miss where screener Bill Butler talks about security theatre: “It’s what I call the illusion of security. That’s what I call it.”
[Update: Butler has been suspended from his job, according to “Airport security firm suspends employee who spoke to CBC News.”]
There’s an old computer security truism that says that users will almost never tell you if your security is too lax; only if it’s too restrictive.
“Our last public opinion survey showed that 90 per cent of the people were satisfied with the security process. So we think we’ve delivered on the mandate we were given,”
I think it’s perfectly plausible that their mandate was in fact to provide the public appearance of security, and not actual security itself.
Of course, Canda has had huge problems with security…
Oh no wait, that was a little farther south.
Maybe they’ve got the security issue sorted – dont piss the world off.
J