Special Agents from Homeland Security/TSA question and serve subpoenas on blog authors

During the evening of 29 December 2009 the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Agency sent Special Agents to serve subpoenas at the homes of at least two blog authors (http://www.elliott.org/ and http://boardingarea.com/blogs/flyingwithfish/) asking each for their source of information regarding a recent security directive issued in response to the attempting bombing on a Northwest flight.  Specifically, they asked for the following:

All documents, emails, and/or faxsimile transmissions (sic) in your control possession or control concerning your receipt of TSA Security Directive 1544-09-06 dated December 25, 2009.

Yes, the TSA is diverting valuable resources to track down leaks in their own agency rather than focusing on improving aviation security methodology to prevent further terrorism attempts.   As the DHS/TSA does not feel that bloggers are journalists, they think they are justified in sending Special Agents to the home of  blog authors late at night to inquire about their sources.  Regardless of the professionalism of the agents, these actions are incredibly heavy handed and certainly seem to have questionable justification, much less appropriateness given the larger issue at hand.

These actions may have motivation beyond plugging a leak within their DHS/TSA organization.  Recently a blogger discovered that the TSA had published a poorly redacted version of their Screening Management Standard Operating Procedure on a public web site, revealing sensitive security information with a couple of keystrokes.  This mistake and error in judgement garnered wide exposure in the media and detailed scrutiny from Congress, all of which questioning how such an error could have happened.  Given this backlash and negative publicity from the posted document, one must wonder whether the TSA is taking these “plug the leak” subpoena actions as an opportunity to strike back at bloggers.  If this is not the case, one must still wonder whether there may be a better use for these valuable security resources than hassling blog authors about a document that expires today, 30 December 2009.

The Blogs:

http://www.elliott.org/

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/flyingwithfish/