Fake Boarding Pass

What happens when people intentionally break the law to showcase weakness in the system? I harped on ABC news a couple of years ago when they tried to gain access to a secure airport area in order to sensationalize their perceived lack of adequate security procedures at airports. That plot backfired when alert employees called law enforcement officials after noticing the individuals acting suspiciously. Well, another instance of trying to show a weakness in airline security procedures has come to our attention. This time, it wasn't a news agency that was out to sensationalize a lapse in security, it was a college student. Indiana University PhD student Chris Soghoin posted an online boarding pass creator that allowed people to create and print fake Northwest Airlines boarding passes right from his website. He says that his intent was not to allow criminals to gain access to secure areas of the airport, but instead to show the TSA the flaws in the system. He got their attention all right, and the attention of the FBI and other federal officials. The reaction at this time is mixed. Some are calling for criminal prosecution. Others such as U.S. House of Representative Homeland Security Committee member Ed Markey have called for the Department of Homeland Security to put him to work fixing loopholes like the one he discovered. Although the intent may have been noble, the way that Soghoin went about highlighting the security weakness was totally inappropriate. Why not approach local law enforcement or government officials? Why not show them the boarding pass creator without making it available to the general public? Just the act of posting the tool online should be treated as a criminal action.  What do you think?  Joe Escobar