Posted on 01/27/2004 6:31:33 AM PST by af_vet_rr
WASHINGTON -- The government will order airlines to provide background information on passengers for a new security system that aims to keep dangerous people off planes, Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson said Monday.
Hutchinson said he wants to begin testing the system this spring. It could be fully operational by summer, according to spokesman Dennis Murphy.
Hutchinson said building the system is a Homeland Security Department priority.
"The information that is given by a passenger to the airlines is important for us to have -- in terms of name, address, date of birth -- so we can properly assure the safety of a particular flight," he said.
The Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or CAPPS II, would screen all passengers by checking their names, addresses, phone numbers and birth dates against commercial and government databases. Each passenger would be given one of three color-coded ratings.
Suspected terrorists and violent criminals would be designated "red" and forbidden to fly. Passengers who raise questions would be classified "yellow" and would receive extra security screening. The vast majority would be "green" and simply go through routine screening.
The program has been criticized by privacy advocates who say it infringes on civil liberties and that people may be wrongly labeled security threats.
U.S. airlines have been reluctant to cooperate with the government because of those concerns and possible backlash from passengers. Northwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines already have come under fire for sharing passenger information with the government without letting customers know.
Jim May, president of the Air Transport Association, the major airlines' trade group, said it's imperative that protections for passengers be in place before the government issues any directives. He questioned whether that can happen fast enough to allow full implementation this summer.
Hutchinson said the government will work with airlines to address their concerns but will compel them to participate.
"We expect at this point the airlines will want a clear rule or directive from the government before they'd release information," he said.
European airlines already have agreed to provide data, he said.
Testing would use old passenger data from the airlines' reservation systems, Murphy said. If it happens to turn up a terrorist suspect, Murphy said law enforcement officials would be notified.
Worried about the government creating a database on all citizens? Worry no longer. It's tied together with commercial and government databases, and I'm sure that non-federal law enforcement agencies will want access to this as well. Yes, I know, the government already has plenty of databases on us, but this has the makings of the big one.
First airlines, then rail, then bus, then public sporting events (gotta evaluate anybody going to a Super Bowl or World Series - they could be terrorists), then your theme parks, public recreation, etc.
It sounded like I was being sarcastic, but I really don't see this being used just for the airlines. There has been some semblance of seperation between government and private/commercial databases, but waving the 9/11 banner allows them to bridge that gap.
I would love to know what commercial databases they are accessing.
Which doesn't answer the important question: it the passenger a security threat. There's not even any guarantee that the information is reliable. Actually, undercover agents, police informers, politician's mistresses, etc., will need false data so that criminals cannot use this information to detect penetration of their organizations.
However, it will be expensive and intrusive and thus create the appearance of more security. It's important to be seen to be doing somethind.
I'm not sure. heh!
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