The TSA Responds to Backlash on Twitter

By Andrew Davis on November 15, 2010

"John Tyner is crazy," says the inaugural tweet today on the twitter account @TSAgov. "Usually you have to pay $15 to get your groin patted, and we were going to do it for free."

Since then, more than 500 people have begun to follow the satirical TSA (Transportation Safety Agency) account, which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the people who "touch you so the terrorists don't." Agent Smith, the man behind the @TSAgov account, is a "TSA agent" that posts travel advisories, upcoming projects, and updates from the field.

One such update included an account of trying to look at the insides of a mouse via the backscatter x-ray machines currently being installed (in real life) in airports across the nation. "So we saw what the inside of a mouse looks like," reads the tweet. "So did about 75 airline passengers. We're now scraping it off the insides of Scanner3."

The @TSAgov account mixes political satire with the current controversies surrounding the government agency tasked with airline safety. The finished product is a hilarious, relevant, and, at times--unfortunately apt.

"[C]annot get enough of @TSAgov.. been laughing out loud all night," says Twitterer @laurenelizhatch. "Everyone should follow @TSAgov for the latest news on what to expect at security checkpoints," says @levicole.

Parody accounts are not unusual for Twitter. During the BP oil spill last summer, the account @BPGlobalPR soared to more than 180,000 followers for its satirical coverage of the recovery efforts.

Such accounts mark a growing trend of "social media" activism, and present an interesting dilemma for their targets. While conventional wisdom suggests companies should use their resources to snuff-out these protests, backlash from these efforts often only fuel the flames of dissent. Additionally, the accounts would be protected by the First Amendment in cases where the targets were public entities, such as the Federal Government.

For the time being, @TSAgov is the symbol on twitter of public anger at the TSA's bullish security screening process.

You can find the latest from @TSAgov at http://twitter.com/TSAgov.