CTA Stands by Statement Reacting to Laptop Ban When No Ban Was Imposed
Though the Department of Homeland Security announced no new ban on laptops and tablets on flights headed to the U.S., CTA stands by the statement it released Wednesday in which it said it was reacting to the DHS “ban of large electronics” on those flights, spokeswoman Bronwyn Flores said.
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The new “enhanced security measures” announced Wednesday will be “both seen and unseen,” and will include “enhanced screening of passengers and electronic devices as well as heightened security standards for aircraft and airports,” DHS said in an online overview of the new policy. The measures include no new ban on laptops, tablets or other devices larger than a smartphone, DHS said: “There are no changes to items allowed in carry-on and checked baggage.”
Flores said CTA was reacting to DHS statements Wednesday threatening airlines with a ban on large personal electronics devices if they don’t comply in a timely fashion with the new security measures. “The ban we're referring to goes farther than the March order,” she said. In that order, DHS required that on flights to the U.S. departing from airports in 10 Muslim-majority countries, all devices larger than a smartphone need to be placed in checked baggage. Even the March restrictions “will be removed should the 10 airports comply with the enhanced security measures” outlined in the new directive, DHS said Wednesday. To that, Flores replied the “key word here is ‘should’ the 10 airports comply…. our statement stands.”
In that statement, CTA President Gary Shapiro said “we recognize and support the government's priority to protect American lives, especially in response to a specific terrorist threat. Any policy that detrimentally affects consumers must balance legitimate national security concerns with our personal rights and fundamental freedoms.” Shapiro thinks “embracing, rather than restricting, consumer technology may be a better solution,” he said. For example, facial recognition technology can use eye and body movements “to better decipher a person's intent and emotions,” he said.
CTA is “eager to learn more” about the details of the enhanced security measures announced Wednesday, Shapiro said. “The national discussion on balancing personal freedoms and successful security measures must continue."