Security theater
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Security theater is the carrying out of actions which are designed to look as if they improve security whilst at the same time there is little improvement, or possibly even a loss of security through those actions. The term was coined by Bruce Schneier for his book Beyond Fear but has gained currency in security circles as a good term for a very common phenomenon and in particular for describing airport security measures1 and by experts such as Edward Felten to describe the security measures imposed after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center2. Security theater gains importance both by satisfying and exploiting the gap between perceived risk and actual risk.
Definition of security theater
Security theater has been defined as ostensible security measures which have little real influence on security whilst being publicly visible and designed to show that action is taking place. Security theater has been related to and has some similarities with superstition.Disadvantages of security theater
Almost all issues in security are related to money and cost. Implementing security measures, even ineffective ones, costs money. This money could be used for other purposes including, but not limited to, effective security measures.It is also likely to create restrictions on people and behaviour, since the activity needed for effective theater often goes hand in hand with intrusions into liberty and privacy, or simply disrupts the efficiency of procedures, for example during airport check-in.
Security theater can in itself induce fear in those it is supposed to be protecting. People may come to believe that their activity must be dangerous if they meet armed guards or see visible security measures which "prove" that those in authority believe that there is a real risk. Some air passengers have refused to fly after such incidents as the handcuffing of two women for "illegally" going to the toilet within the last half hour of flight; ironically this is likely to increase risk since the likely alternative, car travel, is more dangerous than air travel3.
Security theater is also a component of culture of fear.
Benefits of security theater
Whilst it may seem that security theater must always cause loss, there may actually be benefits, at least in a localised situation. This is because perception of security is sometimes more important than security itself. If the potential victims of an attack feel protected and feel safer then they may carry on their business, which would otherwise not take place.In addition, if the potential attackers do not realise that the security measures in place are ineffective, they may not go through with their attack.
Critics of some such schemes such as the ACLU have pointed out that the benefits of security theater are temporary and illusionary since after such security measures inevitably fail, not only is the feeling of insecurity increased, but there is also loss of belief in the competence of those responsible for security.
Examples of security theater
It is inherently difficult to give examples of security theater that are clear and uncontroversial. This difficulty is due to the fact that once it is agreed by all that a measure is ineffective, the measure seldom has any noticeable influence on perceived risk. As such the following are examples of alleged security theater.
- The American government has introduced a screening system called Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System. This system relies on static screening of passenger profiles to chose which people should be searched. Critics claim it will actually reduce the effectiveness of searching below that of random searches since terrorists can test the system and use those who are searched least often for their operations.
- Biometric measurements are being introduced in many systems such as the ID Cards in the UK. All currently available biometric systems have been shown to be easy to mislead; further, it has been shown that having false biometric data matching a false identity is no more difficult than having a normal false identity. This is actually a significant impediment to security because if an attacker obtains your PIN or your password you can have it changed, but you can't change your fingerprints.
- Random searches on subway systems, such as those taking place on the New York City Subway system have been criticized by the ACLU and others as security theater. They allege that since such searches are only at some stations and that that people may decline such a search and simply leave that station, a terrorists could simply find a station where no searches were occurring and board there.
Avoiding security theater
Many security experts believe that avoiding security theater is a desirable goal. They claim that by training people in risk acceptance and by educating people in the real risk levels of the activities they are involved in, security theater and the waste associated with it could be made to go away. Needless to say, this would be a fairly large task.An alternative and important approach would be for those in charge of security to attempt to the best of their ability to explain and be honest about security risks. This method may be considered difficult since those who are responsible for making decisions about risk may fear that their own words will be used against them, for example in lawsuits.
See also
Notes
- [more on TSA Says It Can Decide Who Can Learn], David Farber, Sun, 24 Oct 2004, Interesting People mailing list
- [Security Theater, Secrecy and Hidden "Laws"], Dan Gillmor, September 21, 2004
- [ÆGIS e-journal Volume 6 Number 12], December 2003, Page 13
External links
- [Crypt-o-gram, Bruce Schneier's newsletter]
- [stupidsecurity.com a site highlighting inefficient security measures]
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