As was pointed out by a talk show host: “it’s whose on the other end of the blackberry that we need to worry about”.
More About Screening and Watchlists
What is the terrorist watchlist?
The terrorist watchlist is maintained by the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), which is administered by the FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, in cooperation with the departments of Homeland Security, Defense, State and Treasury, and the Central Intelligence Agency.
Intelligence and law enforcement agencies nominate individuals for the watchlist based on established criteria.
Two subsets of the terrorist watchlist are the “No Fly” list and “Selectee” list:
The “No Fly” list includes individuals who are prohibited from boarding an aircraft. You are NOT on the No Fly list if you receive a boarding pass.
The “Selectee” list includes individuals who must undergo additional security screening before being permitted to board an aircraft.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in the wake of 9/11 to strengthen the security of the nation’s transportation systems while ensuring the freedom of movement for people and commerce. One of the ways TSA secures transportation systems is screening airline passengers against the No Fly and Selectee lists.
Customs and Border Protection also screens passengers against the terrorist watchlist before admitting travelers to the United States. As part of the inspection process, CBP officers must verify the identity of travelers, determine their admissibility into the U.S., and otherwise ensure compliance with U.S. laws, including looking for possible terrorists, weapons, controlled substances, and a wide variety of other prohibited and restricted items.
A traveler may be referred to secondary inspection for reasons unrelated to CBP’s priority mission of keeping dangerous goods and dangerous people out of the U.S. For example, clearance difficulties may result from a traveler’s name and/or date of birth residing in state or local law enforcement agency databases. CBP does not have the authority to modify such records and must refer these travelers to secondary inspection.
How do I know if I am on a Government Watchlist?
The U.S. government does not reveal whether a particular person is on or not on a watchlist. If the government revealed this information, terrorist organizations would be able to circumvent the watchlist’s purpose by determining in advance which of their members were likely to be questioned or detained.
http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/plus/a0816/final.pdf
The FBI’s watchlisting policies were developed internally and
pertain only to the FBI, not to other DOJ components or any external
agencies that are involved in watchlisting matters. The FBI uses several
different methods to accomplish its nominations depending on the source
and type of terrorist information involved.
Nominations of Investigative Subjects
In general, individuals who are subjects of ongoing FBI
counterterrorism investigations are nominated to TSC for inclusion on the
watchlist, including persons who are being preliminarily investigated to
determine if they have links to terrorism. FBI policy requires the responsible
case agent to forward a complete nomination package to the Terrorist
Review and Examination Unit (TREX) in FBI headquarters. This package
should include an initial case opening electronic communication, a copy of a
notice of initiation that is directed to DOJ headquarters, and an FBI watchlist
nomination form.5
For international terrorist nominations, TREX is responsible for
reviewing and approving the nomination. It then forwards the nomination to
NCTC. NCTC performs its review of the nomination and submits it to the
TSC for inclusion in the consolidated terrorist watchlist. In cases of domestic
terrorist nominations, TREX will send the nomination directly to the TSC.