The Pledge is TSA’s latest demonstration of the agency’s ongoing commitment to customer service in the fulfillment of its security mandate. “TSA’s mission is to provide world class security with world class customer service,” said Rear Admiral David M. Stone, USN (Ret.), Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for TSA. “Security and Customer Service are at the core of all screener duties. “This pledge reflects our continued commitment to perform each day in a manner that demonstrates our understanding that we are servants of the American people.” The Pledge to Travelers (PDF 445 KB) consists of seven points: * We pledge to do everything we can to ensure that your flight is secure. * We pledge to treat you with courtesy, dignity, and respect during the screening process. * We pledge that if additional screening is required, we will communicate and explain each step of the additional screening process. * We pledge to honor your request for a private screening at any time during the screening process. * We pledge that if additional screening of your person is required, it will be provided by a screener of the same gender. * We pledge to accept all feedback and to consider your input as a vital part of our effort to continually enhance the screening experience. * We pledge to respond to your comments in a timely manner.

The new Geutebruck camera offers back light compensation and comes with a 110-240 VAC or a 10-30VDC/ 12-29 VAC power supply unit.

Sodium sulfide is not the sort of contraband that customs inspectors are traditionally trained to look for, but the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Commodity Identification Training program is working to stop illicit trafficking of materials and equipment needed for weapons of mass destruction. Trainers provided inspectors with a valuable booklet recently developed by Argonne’s Nonproliferation and National Security Program. The booklet is an index and cross reference for customs inspectors that lists in six distinct ways chemicals used in the development of chemical weapons, nuclear weapons or missiles. The booklet greatly simplifies and facilitates the task of determining if a given chemical falls under one of the multilateral export control regimes. “It was a good intercept,” said Pete Heine, Argonne’s Section Manager for Export Control and Technical Cooperation. “Whether it was actually going for a chemical weapons program or not is still being determined. Sodium sulfide can be used for leather tanning, but it is a chemical-weapon precursor and required a license to be moved legally.” Argonne led the development of the Commodity Identification Training program for the U.S. Department of Energy’s International Nonproliferation Export Control Program (INECP). The program is establishing ongoing training courses in dozens of countries to teach customs inspectors to spot these items. “These are the people on the front line who can and will prevent proliferation,” said Heine. “This seizure is proof that Commodity Identification Training works,” Heine said. “We want inspectors to have a ‘trained eye’ to watch for the right things. They can determine when shipments may require an export license. For export control efforts to have an impact on proliferators, illicit shipments must be detected and interdicted.” “People now understand the importance of nonproliferation,” said export control specialist Kirsten Laurin-Kovitz, “but often don’t understand how it works. Export control is where nonproliferation becomes real. We try to prevent controlled technology, equipment or materials from getting into the wrong hands.” Argonne’s export control group supports the strengthening of export control systems worldwide through the INECP and by supporting U.S. participation in the multilateral export control regimes, such as the Nuclear Suppliers Group. The group also contributes to the implementation of the U.S. export-control system in accordance with the norms set by those regimes. Groundbreaking handbook Training is just one of the Nuclear Engineering Division’s export control programs. Another critical element is providing expertise. For example, the chemical index that inspectors used was derived from a book written by Argonne chemist Julie Gruetzmacher. Gruetzmacher is Argonne’s Walter H. Zinn Postdoctoral Fellow. Called A Handbook for the Australia Group Chemical Weapons Precursors, it is a one-stop reference manual for chemical-export-control personnel. This book provides a wealth of information related to each of the chemical-weapon ingredients on the Australian Group Chemical Control List. The Australia Group is an arrangement among 38 member countries to minimize the risk of chemical and biological weapon proliferation. “This handbook is a sorely needed resource to inform export control decision-making related to these chemicals,” said Heine. Recent revelations of ongoing proliferation of nuclear-related equipment, materials and technology, facilitated by elaborate procurement networks like that of Pakistan’s A.Q. Khan, demonstrate that proliferation is changing. According to Laurin-Kovitz, proliferation used to be primarily the domain of middle men working as procurement agents. Now proliferators are organizing supplier networks, working as salesmen and brokers marketing nuclear capabilities, and even establishing dedicated manufacturing operations of their own for difficult-to-obtain items. Accordingly, another major component of export controls at Argonne is proliferation risk analysis. “The challenge in export control is staying ahead of the bad guys,” said Heine. “People are being arrested for these activities, and as more countries criminalize proliferation, we will see a change.”

The system can manage eight IP-camera signals: this allows, for instance, images from several ENC-1001P network cameras to be recorded over the network with a DNR-108/80 recording rate of 50 fields/sec. Features such as Event Search, Pre and Post Alarm Recording, OSD Menu, Audio and Alarm Inputs and Ouputs extend the different recording criteria. An SD memory card can be used for storage of recorded material and software upgrades. Plus, a removable hard disk is an image-archiving option for increasing the hard disk capacity up to a total of 320GB. The Watermark Function (digital signature in recorded pictures), the user-friendly Jog Shuttle and attractive price round off this networked marvel. While not yet available in Australia, the just-released system gives a glimpse of the way next-gen video recording solutions may appear.

VOIP is an important emerging technology that makes it possible to place telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection rather than traditional, circuit-based telephone lines. While it shows promise for lower cost and greater flexibility, VOIP has a very different architecture than circuit-switched telephony, and these differences result in significant security issues. “Administrators may mistakenly assume that since digitized voice travels in packets, they can simply plug VOIP components into their already-secured networks and remain secure. However, the process is not that simple,” says the NIST report. Implementing common security measures into VOIP, such as firewalls and encryption, can cause poor voice quality and blocked calls if not done carefully and with the proper equipment. Designing, deploying and securely operating a VOIP network is a complex effort that requires careful preparation, says the report. NIST recommendations to help in the transition to secure VOIP include: develop appropriate network architecture, including separate voice and data networks where feasible and practical; ensure that the organization can manage and mitigate risks to their information, system operations, and continuity of essential operations when deploying VOIP systems; use and routinely test the security features included in VOIP systems; update VOIP software regularly and frequently; and, since worms, viruses and other malicious software are common on PCs connected to the Internet, do not use “softphone” systems that implement VOIP using a PC with a headset and special software.