TSA spent $47,000 on an app that just randomly picks lanes for passengers

According to Mashable, the Transportation Security Administration apparently spent $47,000 on an app that is essentially a random number generator—it was briefly used to assign travelers to left or right lanes at airports.

As the website reported: “The app was used by TSA agents to randomly assign passengers to different pre-check lines as part of a now-discontinued program called ‘managed inclusion.’”

Such an app is widely viewed to be an extremely simple program to write. Many are questioning why a government agency overpaid for the app.

The revelation was published Sunday evening by Kevin Burke, a San Francisco-based developer who received TSA documents in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents showed a $1.4 million price tag. However, the TSA has clarified that figure, stating that the app actually cost $47,000.

The TSA did not immediately respond to Ars’ request for comment.