December 03, 2005 | TSA Changes

The TSA is changing its rules to allow passengers to carry small scissors and some pocketknifes onto planes, but will add some random secondary screenings and increase screeners' focus on finding explosives.

The change was announced formally on Friday, and there's more here in Leslie Miller's AP story.

Stewardesses and some members of Congress, including Ed Markey, think this is poor security, but it seems like a smart move.

Unfortunately, transportation security officers (née screeners) will still have to look for and confiscate lighters, thanks to a href="http://www.secondaryscreening.net/static/archives/2004/12/dorgan_wydens_b.html#000076">Senator Byron Dorgan's cameo in .

In other TSA news, Justin Oberman, who has been heading the Secure Flight program at the TSA, is leaving for greener pastures.

Oberman is taking a job with a venture capital firm called Crestview Capital Funds where he will work as -- insert predictable drum roll here -- "the senior analyst focused on homeland security, transportation and other related industries." Link to press release.

When last screened around these parts, Oberman was dodging and dissembling about his violation of the Privacy Act. Both the Inspector General and the Privacy Office at Homeland Security were ostensibly investigating the little matter of creating a secret database on American citizens, but neither the press release from the venture capital fund nor the one from the TSA mentions any investigation.

Secure Flight remains in a holding pattern and is unlikely to be rolled out this year. The new head is Stephanie Rowe, a former Accenture executive who has experience consulting with the TSA.

Crestview is lucky to have Oberman, who by all accounts knows how to do "due diligence."

Posted by Ryan Singel at December 3, 2005 02:53 PM

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