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- Next time you are at an airport, you may not want to gaze down at your feet.
But also be careful not to stare at anyone with your eyes wide open. Both of
these behaviors are listed on a "suspicious signs" checklist used by the U.S.
Transportation Security Administration. The Intercept obtained the confidential
document from a source concerned about the quality of the program. The document
shows how the TSA identifies potential terrorists based on behaviors that it
thinks indicate stress or deception, including "fidgeting," "whistling" and
"throat clearing." The checklist is part of the TSA’s controversial program
known as the "Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques.” It employs
specially trained officers, known as behavior detection officers, to watch and
interact with passengers going through screening. The TSA has trained and
deployed thousands of these officers, spending more than $900 million on this
program since its inception in 2007.
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