Analysis of the Financial Costs and Benefits of the “No-Fly” List

Homeland Security Affairs writes Just How Much Does That Cost, Anyway? An Analysis of the Financial Costs and Benefits of the “No-Fly” List.

"The purpose of this article is to identify the financial costs relative to the benefits of the ‘no-fly’ list. Numerous scholars, security experts, lawyers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), journalists, and bloggers have commented on the well-known flaws in the current terrorist watch list system. Lawyers have pointed out the many civil liberty issues associated with the list and its hindrance of due process. 1 The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has repeatedly published the many flaws it sees in the way that the list is administrated. 2 Bruce Schneier, a popular security columnist and blogger, documents the various reasons why the no-fly list serves no benefit at all, providing only ‘security theatre’ rather than actual protection. 3 Each of these analyses is useful and contributes to an understanding of whether or not the no-fly list is, in aggregate, helpful in protecting citizens against terrorism, and at what social and civil liberty cost. What is missing, however, is an analysis of the no-fly list from a financial perspective. This article is interested in understanding the monetary costs of the program."

It's a good reasoned article. Their medium estimate for the year cost of the No-Fly List is $89 million.

Also, ars technica has an article, racial profiling no more effective than random screen pointing to a recent study on the topic.