Guy Films At Newark Airport, Looks For Trouble

Some would say that this guy is a jerk who needs a new hobby, but I think he's a good guy.

TSA agents & airline employees don’t understand rules

The intent of Long Island Audit Inc. is to do First Amendment audits. This usually involves the police, but a recent video had an interesting angle, as it happened at an airport.

The person behind this went to Newark Airport for an "audit" and filmed the checkpoint to see what would happen. Both the TSA agents and the United Airlines employees failed his test very badly.

The video was posted online.

• The guy gets told by a TSA agent that he can’t record at TSA checkpoints
• The police are called, and an officer tells him that he can’t film, and demands to see his press credentials
• The guy points out that filming at TSA checkpoints is permitted, and this is even explicitly stated on the TSA’s website
• The officer then says he just can’t film in a way that “makes people feel uncomfortable,” and the guy then asks to see the law that says that
• A sergeant is then called, and he states that filming is allowed, and that he can continue
• He then goes to another part of the terminal and is approached by United Airlines employees, as several people tell him he can’t film
• A United Airlines supervisor is then called, and he has an attitude and calls the police
• The police officer shows up and tells the United employees that “what you want and what can be done are not the same thing”

The video is worth watching if you enjoy this kind of stuff.

I don't know if the angle is ultra-liberal, ultra-conservative or both. It's strange times.

Why I appreciate this guy’s work

This guy was looking for trouble and was going to the extreme. I would usually be skeptical of that, but I really like it. The reality is that most airline and airport workers in the US don't know how to shoot pictures.

• Legally you can take pictures and film anywhere in an airport, with the exception of immigration facilities; yes, this includes being allowed to take pictures and film at TSA checkpoints (generally with the exception of screens)
• Legally, you can also take pictures and film airline passengers and agents, since you don’t have a reasonable right to privacy at an airport
• That being said, airlines can have policies against filming employees, and they can have you removed from their flight if you do so; you’re not breaking the law, you’re just breaking the carrier’s policy, which you agree to when you book a ticket
• However, in this case the guy didn’t have an airline ticket, so there’s nothing a United Airlines employee can do, since he had no contract with the airline

I always run into issues when someone tells me I am not allowed to take pictures at airports because I try to respect peoples' privacy. One of the contract workers told me to remove a picture I took of a long security line at the airport. No...

Sometimes it's nice to see someone putting in the effort and taking the heat for what they're doing, especially when so many people he interacts with are dead wrong.

I sometimes have problems taking pictures at hotels or airport lounges. When I take pictures of buffets, the issue is usually not when people are in the picture, but when I take pictures of people eating. Some people don't like buffets being photographed.

Private establishments are able to make their own rules. Most of the time, these aren't policies from the companies, but just one employee making their own rule. The TSA and United employees were doing similar things here.

Bottom line

The topic of airport employees not understanding rules around that is close to my heart because I am a photographer at airports. Someone went to Newark Airport to film to see what kind of reaction he would get.

The laws were messed with by the police, the TSA, and the employees. The police officer told the United supervisor that what he wanted and what he could do were not the same thing.

What do you think about this incident?

The tip of the hat is used to view from the wing.