AKA "What Color Is Your Parachute?". Edited for brevity. Hat tip: Drudge.
The Washington Post reports the Bush administration is expected to order as soon as next month the first step in setting up databases on all air passengers, to be used to color-code each air traveler according to his or her potential threat level. Passengers coded red would be stopped from boarding; yellow would mean additional screening at security checkpoints; and green would mean an only standard level of scrutiny. Airlines and airline reservation companies would reportedly be forced to turn over all passenger records to U.S. government officials, who struck out in a trial program was based on voluntary surrender of airline industry data. Not a single airline agreed to turn over data voluntarily.
The Post says the TSA plans to introduce this year a program for frequent fliers who could get through check-in lines at the airport faster - if they agree to give the government access to some of their personal information. The larger program, involving the databases, has been discussed in government circles for months and has sparked concerns by privacy watchdogs.
The planned database program for monitoring air travelers is called Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening, more commonly referred to as CAPPS II, because the one planned for rollout is a second generation of CAPPS I, the system now in use. The American Civil Liberties Union, on its web site, objects to CAPPS II, saying it would make every American suspect, lacks due process protections for people who are unfairly labeled, is based on judgments made in secret, and would be easy for terrorists to circumvent. Boosters of CAPPS II argue that it will speed things up at the airport, by "reducing the number of people who undergo secondary screening, or who are consistently misidentified as potential terrorists." Passengers who believe their data is wrong, or that the government’s security assessment of them is wrong, are expected to address their complaints to a Passenger Advocate’s Office to be set up to resolve those kinds of problems.
"Sorry you can’t fly home for your grandfather’s funeral, but we’ll correct your record after you fill this form out in triplicate in 4-6 weeks. Then you can fly all you want!" |