World View: The Threat of T-Shirts

Just when I thought the world of security couldn't get any more surreal, I was surfing the web and came across a couple of really zany new security requirements.

And just to prove that Americans don't have a complete lock on silly security rules, here's a second gem I recently came across. According to the BBC, airport security at London's Heathrow airport recently stopped a passenger for wearing a Transformer cartoon t-shirt. Security at the boarding gate said that the t-shirt contained a picture of a gun and therefore the passenger would not be allowed to board the plane. Well, I suppose that is technically true if you consider that the arm of the transformer appeared to be some sort of cosmic cannon from the future. It's also true if you saw the animated film and thought that perhaps the cartoon might jump off a t-shirt and come to life and begin using its weapons from the future to hijack the plane into the fourth dimension. I suppose all of that is possible but, c'mon let's get real here.

According to the BBC, (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7431640.stm) the passenger, Brad Jayakody, from Bayswater, central London, was stopped while boarding his flight and made to change his t-shirt. "It's a cartoon robot" he said, "what threat is it to security or offensive to anyone at all? I was just looking for someone with a bit of common sense."

At this point, Brad, I think we all are. ##

Paul Raines is CISO of a nonprofit organization in Europe.