TSA Spends $1M On App That Points Left or Right

[Chance]

From Lowering the Bar (http://loweringthebar.net/2016/04/the-tsas-million-dollar-app-and-my-zero-dollar-equivalent.html):


As Kevin Burke pointed out the other day (https://kev.inburke.com/kevin/tsa-randomizer-app-cost-336000/), documents he obtained through a FOIA request show that to develop its “Randomizer” tablet app, which agents use to randomly select which of two lines a traveler will use, the TSA paid IBM at least $336,413 and possibly as much as $1.4 million. This is for an “app,” if it can even be called that, which does nothing more than display an arrow pointing either left or right when the agent taps on the screen.

The TSA, of course refuses to say exactly where all that money went, but just the app itself cost $336K. I'd like to have more details, but then again, I'm probably better off with the headache I have now, than the headache I'd have later.

[Default.mp3]

The TSA, of course refuses to say exactly where all that money went, but just the app itself cost $336K.Supposedly, not quite:

The TSA told me that the actual app development cost $47,400. It said the larger sum was part of a bigger ontract involving several projects.Source: http://www.cnet.com/news/former-ibmer-shows-you-can-build-tsas-randomizer-app-in-4-mins/

While ~47.5k USD is still pretty bad, it makes me wonder how much of that is tied into other things, à la the myth of the 600 USD hammer for DoD (http://www.govexec.com/federal-news/1998/12/the-myth-of-the-600-hammer/5271/).

[Drang]

While I get that you can't just have someone literally flipping a coin, but when I saw the first TSA guy holding an iPad with a left or right arrow, my first thought wasn't "How much did that app cost?" it was "Why an iPad?"

[Chance]

While ~47.5k USD is still pretty bad, it makes me wonder how much of that is tied into other things, à la the myth of the 600 USD hammer for DoD (http://www.govexec.com/federal-news/1998/12/the-myth-of-the-600-hammer/5271/).

I'm guessing a fair amount of change had to be dropped to buy the actual iPads.

ETA: I think the absurdity of why they even thought this was necessary is was gets me. Of all the chinks in the TSA's armor, worrying about whether the selection of left or right is acceptably random seems like one of those "low impact" bugs to me. It's like they're focused on some "Mission: Impossible" style coordinated superspy exploit, when they can't even keep untrained people from sneaking stuff through their security lines.

[jallsa]

Do you know that simple app costs ~$60,000? maybe in this way they tried to put extra money in their pocket? :confused:

[LorenzoS]

The TSA, of course refuses to say exactly where all that money went, but just the app itself cost $336K.

Besides purchasing the iPads, there are costs for people to configure and manage the software installs, updates, and ship out the hardware. Training and help desk support for people who can't understand how to use an app with one button, people, processes and spare hardware to replace the iPads that get dropped, and of course secure cloud storage for all the pictures up women's skirts they also use the iPad for.

It all adds up. Someone at IBM is laughing his ass off.

[LittleLebowski]

Do you know that simple app costs ~$60,000? maybe in this way they tried to put extra money in their pocket? :confused:

I'm very curious as to your next post with regards to if you are here for firearms discussion or not.