At the same hearing, the GAO raised similar concerns, in particular focusing on screening errors.
GAO noted that last September, it reported that TSA lacked timely and reliable information on instances in which its system did not identify passengers who were on watch lists. DHS has developed a mechanism to address that problem “but has not yet shown how it will use this information to improve system performance.”
That same month a report found that screening personnel made errors in screening passengers at the checkpoint at a level consistent with their Secure Flight risk determinations and that TSA did not have a systematic process for evaluating the root causes of those errors across airports.
GAO also cited a report it issued last year questioning the effectiveness of body scanners, noting that the technology was evaluated in a laboratory setting, which did not reflect how it would operate in actual practice. It further noted a report focused on TSA’s “managed Inclusion” process—a process to assess passenger risk in real time at the airport and provide expedited screening to certain passengers.
