Transforming J.D. Vance’s face has been a meme for several months, and someone took ‘bald, bearded infant J.D. Vance’ and created an app to do that to your boarding pass. The creator says he used it at New York JFK and “TSA…seemed slightly entertained.”
i made this handy app to turn your boring airline wallet check in passes into big beautiful bald JD vances https://t.co/GTWEmwe1Mx
— James Steinberg (@DareFailed) June 30, 2025
He says he drew inspiration from the Norwegian tourist who was detained at Newark and then deported after being required to unlock his phone, where border officials found an altered image of Vance (officially, the reason he was denied entry was admitted use of marijuana which is legal in his home country).
I was interested in this because TSA has gotten big mad at boarding pass generators in the past. Most famously, sometimes reader of this blog Christopher Soghoian created a boarding pass generator in 2006 and the TSA threatened him with criminal penalties for it. So I went back to the threats and the relevant regulations to see the risks.
- 49 C.F.R. § 1540.103(c) “No person may make… Any reproduction or alteration, for fraudulent purpose, of any … access medium or identification medium issued under this subchapter.” A boarding pass (paper or electronic) is an “access medium.” This carries a civil penalty up to $17,062 per violation under 49 U.S.C. § 46301(a)(5)(A) (TSA’s standard penalty schedule).
- 49 C.F.R. § 1540.105(a)(1) & (3) Prohibits tampering with or using an access/ID medium “in any manner other than that for which it was issued.”
- 49 U.S.C. § 46314 Criminalizes knowingly entering the sterile area or aircraft “in violation of security requirements”—what an altered or forged pass is often intended to do. Carries up to 1 year imprisonment (§ 46314(b)(1)) or 10 years (§ 46314(b)(2)) if done “with intent to evade security procedures.”
- 49 U.S.C. § 46316 is a catch‑all misdemeanor for violating any TSA/FAA security regulation.
- 18 U.S.C. § 1028 & § 1001 Forging or using a false identification document, or making a materially false statement to a federal official fall under ordinary fraud statutes.
The FBI cited these in pursuing Soghoian. How would they apply here?
Apple and Google Wallet boarding passes are .pkpass files that contain (1) the visual artwork and (2) the cryptographically signed barcode payload that the airline/TSA actually validates. What the app appears to do is swap out only the artwork layer so that the pass looks like a JD Vance meme while leaving the signed barcode untouched.
§ 1540.103(c) requires “fraudulent purpose” and juxtaposing the barcode with Vance carries no intent to fool TSA. However, could it violate violate § 1540.105(a)(1)/(3) for “tampering with” and “using” the access medium in a way it was never issued to be used? Intent is irrelevant here, but I still don’t think so because the access medium is likely the boarding code, and not the graphic. TSA’s privacy impact assessment says the goal is to verify that “identity credentials and boarding passes … have not been tampered with.” No one is breaking the cryptographic signature.
In practice, there are apparently fewer than 10 civil cases per year against passengers who try to fly on doctored boarding passes and these aren’t meme art overlays. It’s possible you could be threatened but if you’re willing to lawyer up (which could be more expensive than the fine) you’d be in a strong position I think.
Interestingly, an airline itself could issue the Vance boarding pass and that’s clearly permissible – 49 C.F.R. § 1540.103 targets unauthorized alteration and the airline is the authorized issuer. There’s no tampering. In fact, Apple’s PassKit guide explicitly encourages carriers to brand the pass with any foreground/background images they like.
But what about other unintended uses of boarding passes, like actually faking boarding pass credentials to get into lounges?
- You might want to visit an airline lounge you aren’t eligible for, like a first class lounge
- Or visit a departure-only lounge when you land, for a meal or a shower or just to kill time, or enter that lounge when it’s more than 3 hours to your flight with a lounge that time-limits entry.
Here you’re not going through security with the ticket – you’re already inside the sterile area (unless you’re changing terminals, and the terminals aren’t connected airside). A boarding‑pass scan at the lounge entrance is not a TSA‑controlled access point so there’s no violation. These regulation only cover access to secured/SIDA/sterile areas, not commercial spaces inside them. There’s no TSA sanction for ‘lounge misuse.’ Of course an airline or lounge operator could ban you!
What about buying a refundable ticket solely to meet someone at the arriving gate? You clear the checkpoint with a legitimate, unaltered boarding pass and comply with all screening. No TSA rule says you must intend to board, although one could theoretically argue you’re using the boarding pass in a manner other than that which is intended (§ 1540.105(a)(3)).
- While the airline might ban you
- I’m not aware of any case the TSA has pursued against someone clearing security with a legitimate boarding pass
The TSA itself endorses “gate passes” for non‑travelers with strict passenger limits. A ticket involves potentially different screening since gate passes won’t confer PreCheck for a passenger who is otherwise-eligible. Do it enough and you might get your Known Traveler Number suspended.
(HT: Paul H.)
Idiot. Truly a dumbass.
might get prosecuted. but not sure about jail. he might have wanted it.
If you repeatedly buy refundable tickets solely to access airside and then cancel, how will TSA know? Airlines will likely have issues with it, but I don’t see how TSA would find out unless somehow cancellations register with TSA. If they do monitor this type of activity, just don’t use precheck when doing it. Also, use different airlines as often as possible.
It’s really pathetic what the left views as political discourse these days: threats, violence, and memes. This is not a path to winning elections, just a path to further societal breakdown. It’s on you.
Just asking for trouble, plain & simple.
How dare anyone mock our Dear Leader or that poor little bald boy, whoever he is! There must be dignity and respect for authority. Humor, jokes, satire is disgusting. Thank goodness we are finally great again! Praise be!
Hey, Gary, is ‘Dear Leader’ now on your list of banned/auto-moderated words? Sheesh…
I guess it isn’t. Maybe it was ‘great again’… bah!
Oof. I’m not sure what I said that got tagged; anyway, keep mocking those in power, regardless of their affiliations, because sometimes, that’s all we got left.
@Mantis if poking fun at garbage humans makes me a leftist, then count me in.
@1990: It would be helpful for readers to reference a VFTW published list of “banned words and phrases” so they know in advance not to use them.
@Ken A — That’d actually be helpful. As with many things, clear expectations are often helpful. Then again, some enjoy the mysticism of ‘not knowing.’ Perhaps, I should just ‘have faith’ that Gary knows best. He is, after, our Dear ‘thought’ Leader on VFTW. Or is it ‘thot’?
@Ken A – I don’t see any ‘banned words’ in the comment in question and I cleared it, not sure why it got caught. As for a list, ask George Carlin!
“What about buying a refundable ticket solely to meet someone at the arriving gate?”
Because of US defaultism, I’ll mention that in some countries there are actually laws against doing so – most notably, Singapore. Dozens of people are arrested at Changi every year for buying a ticket and entering a departures area without intending to fly, and there is signage reading: “Warning: It is an arrestable offence to enter the transit area if you do not intend to travel, even if you have a boarding pass.”
I believe that a similar prohibition also exists for international departures areas in Australia. They have signage reading: “Customs restricted area – travellers and authorised persons only beyond this point – unauthorised entry is an offence – failure to comply may lead to an infringement notice or prosecution.”
@Samus Aran – all flights departing Singapore are international – and Singapore has departure immigration to clear
Messing with any Federal documents is highly not recommended even if one finds it funny. Ignorance of the law is zero excuse in any court as well.
Thanks, Gary! And, I sure do miss Carlin. He’s a GOAT.
@BJ – boarding passes are generated by airlines, not by the federal government, though there is a federal standard for them
There is more to the boarding pass than the barcode for the TDC to verify, if they are so prompted to do so. At best in that case someone with an altered boarding pass would be sent away to get a new one, at worst they wouldn’t be flying at all that day on any airline and would have a chat with a TSA Inspector who can issue civil penalties.
@Mantis Are you serious? Or have you been living in a Martian cave for the last two decades?
What a moron. A true American…. (Laughing in European arrogance)
@Mantis- I presume your post was just a joke. Ha ha.
I am in total agreement about Angelina’s excellence, but I would argue that there’s a difference between a tourist “trap” and a tourist “spot,” with Angelina’s a perfect example of the latter. In any case they have been expanding. On a recent Paris trip, walkling on the Left Bank on a chilly, rainy day, we were delighted to come across a small cafe they opened in the Luxembourg Gardens and to ward off the chill with their hot chocolate. Further afield they have opened two locations in Manhattan (one on the UES and the other at Bryant Park). A family field test confirms that the product hasn’t been cheapened crossing the Atlantic
Nice to see the TSA has nothing better to do than trouble people with silly memes on their phones. Since this in no way hurts anyone I think that maybe they should worry about screening passengers for threats rather than tasteful humor.
@Ted – I think it’s just a really bad attempt at satire.
Scowling face or balding head, take your pick.
As for “banned words and phrases”, make sure you have copied your post before submitting it. If it is rejected, try submitting the first half. If that is rejected, try the second half. If that is rejected, try the sentences one at a time. I have done this on some posts and have found that the rejection does not seem to be for any real problem with what is being said. Just rewrite the rejected sentence and submit it. The algorithm rejecting some phrasing seems to tilt at windmills.
The left would be in an uproar if someone did this using Biden or Harris.
However, politics aside & most of you WONT believe me- airlines have to submit images of all boarding pass types (AND bag tags) to the TSA for approval. This is rediculously annoying & painful as many airports have different types of paper, printers, and software. This also includes Apple, Windows, and Android phones. (Im in the process of doing this now for an international airline starting service to the US next year).
The barcode, while read by the 2 types of TSA scanners in place, is just part of the boarding pass.
Yet when TSA starts denying entry to people who use this stupid app, $1000000 says they will blame Trump & cry about it- just as we have seen with those using non RealIDs on social media (despite the warnings for the past 10+ years its coming).
I thought the TSA no longer checks boarding passes.
@jns — The more the merrier. Additional engagement inherently helps support VFTW.
@haolenate — Nah, today’s Democrats are weak; perhaps, you meant the anonymous ‘far-left’ trolls online, which may not even be real people, just designed to enflame arguments, sow distrust. Personally, I blame Putin and other global oligarchs, who would like nothing more than to see us devolve into a civil war here, so that they can dissect the assets among themselves, us regular folks be damned. So, friend, there really is no ‘left’ or ‘right,’ just the super-wealthy, and the rest of us. If you wanna do the culture war, that’s fine, good fun, but it’s always been a class war, son. And, one more time, unless you got a spare $100+ million lying around, you ain’t ‘in the club.’
Speaking of ‘a spare $100+ million lying around,’ where’s pro-CCP once-frequent commenter @Un (also may have been using @Unintimidated) these days? Bring back your ‘hot takes,’ sir or madam!
@1990 – I just wish things in government were for REAL efficiency or security. I wish I could rip out 90% of the AQQ/AOSSP security requirements, its all for theater.
However, TSA does require the boarding pass in question to be one that they’ve approved/seen, etc. This is one reason a handful of airlines will require you to recheckin at the gate if you transited from another carrier – some TSOs have stopped passengers (I’ve seen this with my own eyes) in LAX, for example, that were connecting from Avianca and their boarding pass had the Avianca logo on it, but was for United.
One airline I’ve done some IT work for has to submit, or HAD to, 23 types of boarding passes for approval. 23. And they are mostly a domestic carrier. But because not all common-use systems are the same, they had to design boarding passes for each common use system (for example), and then for EACH of the different printers that the ground handler might use.
So much for thinking all you need is that barcode. The barcode is just for the Desko scanners at TSA, for the most part.
@haolenate — I donno, 90% ‘waste’ seems a bit high. Like, much of AQQ is just sharing data with CPB; and while AOSSP can be subjective, seemingly ‘unnecessary,’ like removal of shoes, there were ‘reasons’ for it in the first place (AA63). Ultimately, we just want the actual passenger to be on the correct flight and for them not to harm themselves or others. Incremental improvements are the ‘adult’ way to handle this; not ‘toss out’ nearly all of these policies/agencies. We’d do so at our peril.
Only a Police state or a Banana Republic would go after altering the artwork. The QR code Is not changed and it’s cryptographically signed.
The US used to be a free(er) country. That this is even news is a very sad political indictment.