You may have seen the TSA Randomizer on your last flight. A TSA agent holds an iPad. The agent taps the iPad, a large arrow points right or left, and you follow it into a given lane.

How much does the TSA pay for an app that a beginner could build in a day? It turns out the TSA paid IBM $1.4 million dollars for it.

Just submitted a FOIA request for info on the TSA randomizer, so I guess we’ll find out in 8 months — {{ nickname }} (@ekrubnivek) December 6, 2014

It's not hard! I searched on Google for "TSA FOIA" and found this page, which describes exactly how to reach the FOIA team at the TSA. Ignore the part about how they will get back to you in 20 days. I sent them this email:

I request that a copy of documents concerning the following subject matter be provided to me:

The RFP (Request for Proposal) issued by the TSA for designing and implementing the "TSA Randomizer" iPad application, described here and currently in use by TSA agents at security checkpoints at many airports, including Terminal 2 at Oakland International Airport. Details of any submitted bids from contractors or internal government agencies to design and construct the "TSA Randomizer" iPad app. The final signed contract between the TSA and a contractor to implement the "TSA Randomizer" iPad app.

I also included a little bit about how I thought this request should be eligible for a fee waiver, and how I wasn't going to profit from knowing this information, but it didn't seem particularly difficult to get the data, so I'm not sure it mattered.

They just got back to me! They sent me two documents. The first is a disclaimer about how they had to black out some of the information. The second is the contract between the TSA and IBM. And there's the payment:

Later today Pratheek Rebala reached out to mention that this data is available publicly, and there were 8 other payments as part of the same award, totaling $1.4 million; the document I have is one part, totaling $336,000. Furthermore, there were 4 bids for the contract and IBM won the bidding.

.@ekrubnivek Looks like the the project cost $1,444,315 Here's the rest of the transactions under the same award. https://t.co/BURTcOfgUB — Pratheek Rebala (@pratheekrebala) April 4, 2016

Unfortunately we don't know everything the TSA got for that $1.4 million. They might have just gotten the iPad app; they might have gotten iPads, or work on multiple different apps, including the TSA Randomizer. We only know it's associated with the TSA Randomizer based on the FOIA request that returned this document.

I should mention that the Obama Administration, the "most transparent", has set numerous records for delays in turning over files and refusing to fulfill requests for access, and none of the candidates seem likely to reverse that trend. If you think this is important, consider writing your elected officials and asking them to prioritize this, or making decisions in November based on this.

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