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  • From: "Toni Hawryluk" <tonihawr AT msn.com>
  • To: "Homestead mailing list" <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Homestead] is anyone gonna squawk ?
  • Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2004 17:07:09 -0800

"Squawk* as in lawsuit - - - *that* is all that's being "tested"

here as *everybody* oughta know by now ...



http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/ap11-12-113022.asp?t=apnew&vts=111220041625<http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/ap11-12-113022.asp?t=apnew&vts=111220041625>



Government orders airlines to turn over passenger data



By LESLIE MILLER
ASSOCIATED PRESS



WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 - The government ordered U.S. airlines Friday to turn
over personal information about passengers so it can test a system for
identifying potential terrorists. The move was expected but nonetheless
brought protests from civil libertarians worried about invasions of privacy.



Under the system, called ''Secure Flight,'' the Transportation Security
Administration will compare passenger data with names on two government watch
lists: a ''no-fly'' list comprises known or suspected terrorists, and a
''watch'' list names people who should face tighter scrutiny before boarding
planes.
''Secure Flight represents a significant step in securing domestic air
travel and safeguarding national security information, namely, the
watchlists,'' the TSA said in a notice announcing the order.
The TSA order gives 72 airlines until Nov. 23 to turn over
computerized data for passengers who traveled on domestic flights during
June.
The data - known as passenger name records, or PNR - can include
credit card numbers, travel itineraries, addresses, telephone numbers and
meal requests. The latter can indicate a passenger's religion or ethnicity.
Barry Steinhardt, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer, said a
major problem is the lists include the names of many people who are not
security risks.
Among those subjected to extra scrutiny in recent months was Sen.
Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. The singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, now
Yusuf Islam, is trying to get off the no-fly list after he was removed from a
<>London-to-Washington flight because the list said he had links to
terrorists.
The lists are ''a hodgepodge of information, accurate and
inaccurate,'' Steinhardt said. ''They're the basement of the program, and the
floor is rotten.''
The government has sought to improve its process for checking
passengers since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers exposed holes. The
government's first attempt was scuttled because of fears the government would
have access to too much personal information.
The TSA says Secure Flight differs from the previous plan because it
does not compare personal data with commercial databases. The agency said,
however, it will test the passenger information ''on a very limited basis''
against commercial data.
Under the current system, the government shares parts of the
watchlists with airlines, which are responsible for making sure suspected
terrorists don't get on planes. But the airlines don't have access to
everyone who's considered a threat to aviation because some of the names of
known or suspected terrorists are classified.
People within the commercial aviation industry say there are more than
100,000 names on the lists.
Under Secure Flight, the government would take responsibility for
checking passengers. That was among recommendations of the commission that
investigated the Sept. 11 attacks.
An airline industry representative said the carriers support the
government's goals but remain wary of privacy concerns.
''U.S. airlines have long-standing concerns that center on privacy and
operational issues,'' said James May, president of the Air Transport
Association, which represents major airlines. ''We hope many of the issues
will be successfully addressed during the test phase of Secure Flight.''
About 500 people formally commented on the Secure Flight plan this
fall. Almost all opposed it, saying it would allow the government to monitor
where people go and deprive them of the right to travel without telling them
why.
In issuing the order, the TSA didn't resolve another key concern for
privacy advocates: redress. There still is no formal way for people
mistakenly identified as terrorists, or who have the same name as a suspected
terrorist, to get off the lists.
''They've done absolutely nothing to tell us what they really intend
on doing,'' said Bill Scannell, a privacy advocate who manages the
www.unsecureflight.com<http://www.unsecureflight.com/> Web site. ''Their
attitude seems to be, 'Trust us.'''
Justin Oberman, who heads the TSA office that's developing Secure
Flight, said the agency will set up a passenger advocate's office with clear
policies and procedures. He said a process of redress wasn't needed until
Secure Flight begins.
The passenger advocate will handle complaints from passengers who have
the same name as those on watchlists, as well as those who think they were
mistakenly put on a watchlist, he said.
He defended Secure Flight as a well-thought-out effort to protect
passengers from terrorists.
Oberman said the TSA will present the final plan for Secure Flight
early next year.

On the Net:
Transportation Security Administration:
http://www.tsa.gov<http://www.tsa.gov/>
© 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



  • [Homestead] is anyone gonna squawk ?, Toni Hawryluk, 11/12/2004

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