Article from Reason by Joe Setyon.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) claims it will no longer track the normal movements of people who aren’t suspected of any wrongdoing. So while the agency can and likely will keep treating law-abiding Americans like terrorists, it will stop taking note of such supposedly suspicious behaviors as using the restroom, sweating, and sleeping on a flight.

Federal Air Marshal Director David Kohl tells The Boston Globe that the agency will no longer track “routine passenger behaviors on a plane that would be seen as a normal behavior.”

Why would the TSA focus on such harmless activities in the first place? It was all part of the “Quiet Skies” surveillance program, which the agency launched in 2012 and expanded earlier this year. Under the program, the TSA tries to identify passengers who might pose a security risk. Federal air marshals then follow them around both at the airport and on the flight, keeping track of their every move. The marshals would submit detailed reports describing their findings.

The Globe obtained a check list that air marshals were supposed to fill out while stalking those passengers. Signs of suspicious behavior included “being abnormally aware of surroundings,” “excessive fidgeting” or “perspiration,” “rapid eye blinking,” and having a “cold penetrating stare.” Marshals were also directed to document any change in appearance “from information provided” (i.e., the last time the passenger was spied on), to give “detailed descriptions of any electronic devices in subject’s possession,” and to note whether the passenger went to the bathroom and/or slept for part or most of the flight.

Read the entire article at Reason.