TSA criticised for gathering data on airline passengers

Airline Industry Information, June 21, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

US rights activists have criticised the US Transportation Security Administration's move to gather profiles of air travellers for testing a system to identify security risks.

The TSA has reportedly said that it has used profiles of US nationals who used airlines in June last year. The passenger records total 15m and they will be used for a one-off test of the system, Reuters reported. The new system is targeted at identifying passengers who may pose a security risk.

According to the TSA, it is using a contractor called EagleForce Associates Inc for cross-referencing the data, using records like addresses and phone numbers to make sure to minimise the cases of mistaken identity.

The American Civil Liberties Union has said that the government has secretly been collecting personal data, in a "blatant disregard for restrictions set by Congress". The data collected by the TSA was reportedly bought and stored even though officials had said that it would not do that and Congress had told the agency not to. The Secure Flight program, as it is now called, and its predecessor CAPPS II, have been criticised for several things, including the secret gathering of personal information about airline passengers and for not doing enough to protect the data, The Associated Press reported.

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