Passengers Air Grievances on TSA Blog
Can TSA keep up with 700 complaints per day on its new blog?
March 11, 2008 -- NEW YORK - The name alone oozes suspense: "Evolution of Security," and the tagline adds a special thrilling kick: "Terrorists Evolve. Threats Evolve. Security Must Stay Ahead. You Play A Part."
It's not often that the federal government invites people to air their grievances. But the Transportation Security Administration is welcoming people to complain, criticize and question TSA operations on its "Evolution of Security" blog - www.tsa.gov/blog - which went live Jan. 30. A TSA blogger team reads all of the comments and posts almost all of them, no matter how harsh or how cranky the poster.
The blog's goal is to help TSA connect with passengers, says Christopher White, a TSA spokesman and a blogger. White and several others post four or five times a week with few editorial constraints.
"We are posting, 'why we do what we do,' 'how we do it,' and then the public is blogging back and commenting," says White. "It's a great way to get in touch with people."
TSA Administrator Kip Hawley kicked things off, with a "Welcome" message, where he wrote that in the airport rush, "there is no time to talk, to listen, to engage with each other" and not much opportunity for security officers to explain why certain policies are in place.
"The result is that the feedback and venting ends up circulating among passengers with no real opportunity for us to learn from you or vice versa," he said. "Our ambition is to provide here a forum for a lively, open discussion of TSA issues."
Within the first 24 hours of the blog, there were 700 comments, says White. Some praised TSA for creating the forum; some were skeptical; and others launched right into a list of gripes, ranging from the liquid rule to concern about catching germs from removing shoes. One poster claimed to have invented a machine to dispense surgical booties directly to passengers' feet - no bending down to put them on required.
The Evolution Blog Team answered several questions in subsequent posts.
One included a video of liquids blowing up and a link to a TSA Myth Busters page about liquids. In response to the germ question, the blog noted that the TSA commissioned a study in 2003 with the Department of Health and Human Services and found that if the floor isn't moist, then the possibility of contracting athlete's foot is "extremely small to remote."
