whaaa???

WASHINGTON (Feb. 28) - Delta Air Lines will begin testing a new government plan for air security next month that will check background information and assign a threat level to everyone who buys a ticket for a commercial flight.

The system, ordered by Congress after the Sept. 11 attacks, will gather much more information on passengers than has been done previously. Delta will try it out at three undisclosed airports, and a comprehensive system could be in place by the end of the year.

Transportation officials say a contractor will be picked soon to build the nationwide computer system, which will check such things as credit reports and bank account activity and compare passenger names with those on government watch lists.

Civil liberties groups and activists are objecting to the plan, seeing the potential for unconstitutional invasions of privacy and for database mix-ups that could lead to innocent people being branded security risks.

``This system threatens to create a permanent blacklisted underclass of Americans who cannot travel freely,'' said Katie Corrigan, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union.

There also is concern that the government is developing the system without revealing how information will be gathered and how long it will be kept.

Advocates say the system will weed out dangerous people while ensuring law-abiding citizens aren't given unnecessary scrutiny.

Transportation officials say CAPPS II - Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System - will use databases that already operate in line with privacy laws and won't profile based on race, religion or ethnicity.

``What it does is have very fast access to existing databases so we can quickly validate the person's identity,'' Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said.

An oversight panel, which will include a member of the public, is being formed. The Transportation Security Administration will set up procedures to resolve complaints by people who say they don't belong on the watch lists.

Transportation Department spokesman Chet Lunner said a Federal Register notice saying the background information will be stored for 50 years is inaccurate. He said such information will be held only for people deemed security risks.

Jay Stanley, an ACLU spokesman, was skeptical.

``When it says in print, 50 years, we'd like to see something else in print to counter that,'' he said.

Airlines already do rudimentary checks of passenger information, such as method of payment, address and date the ticket was reserved. The system was developed by Northwest Airlines in the early 1990s to spot possible hijackers.

Unusual behavior, such as purchasing a one-way ticket with cash, is supposed to prompt increased scrutiny at the airport.

Capt. Steve Luckey, an airline pilot who helped develop the system, said CAPPS II will help discern a passenger's possible intentions before he gets on a plane.

Unlike the current system, in which data stays with the airlines' reservation systems, the new setup will be managed by TSA. Only government officials with proper security clearance will be able to use it.

CAPPS II will collect data and rate each passenger's risk potential according to a three-color system: green, yellow, red. When travelers check in, their names will be punched into the system and their boarding passes encrypted with the ranking. TSA screeners will check the passes at checkpoints.

The vast majority of passengers will be rated green and won't be subjected to anything more than normal checks, while yellow will get extra screening and red won't fly.

Paul Hudson, executive director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project, which advocates airline safety and security, is skeptical the system will work.

``The whole track record of profiling is a very poor to mixed one,'' Hudson said, noting incorrect profiles of the Unabomber and the Washington-area snipers.

Nine to 11 of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 were flagged by the original CAPPS, but weren't searched because the system gave a pass to passengers who didn't check their bags, Hudson said. People without checked bags are now included.

02/28/03 08:40 EST

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

WOW:eek:

I am surprised this is being allowed with our right to privacy and all...

unfortunately this is a sign of the times, it seems that we can either have the right to privacy, or the right to safety. seems there is no way to have both, not without giving some people privacy and not others.

I don't like the idea of some privacy being invaded, but then I thought, which is more important? privacy or safety? safety! and if you don't have anything to hide, then who cares! like when people complain that there are cameras in public...so what? they are not looking for mr/ms average person, they only to want to find the criminals/terrorists.

This just sucks. I bet they will be targetting innocent people just because of their race/religion. Where are our liberties going?? "sigh"

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/02/28....ap/index.html

We are going against our own ideals "innocent until proven guilty"

Now it seems that people are "guilty until proven innocent" :(:(

yes popcornbird it is sad. really sad. and not fair to some people, but I don't know what else they can do.

Its really sad whatever is happening. :( Innocent people will definitely be targetted. I just fear this will become a race/religion thing.

I'm sorry popcornbird, but I disagree. I think it is a good idea.
I'm not saying they should put all islamic people on red and not allow them to fly, not saying that at all. but I think that they should go into the backgrounds somewhat. if tomorrow they said they were going to do that and the ones that would be targeted most were Italian, or whatever. I would probably be irritated, but it is for all our own safety. it is not being done to hurt anyones feelings or to discriminate, just to keep all of us safe.

popcornbird
what happend? did you deleete yourlast post, ??I answered it but then it changed...:confused:

If they are going to do this with full justice and for our safety, then fine, but if they are going to discriminate and choose certain people out, than its wrong and against our constitution. I just hope they do this fairly. Then again, the news and people were making a big deal about the intense security after 9-11 as well. I traveled after 9-11 and they were just as nice as usual. I really hope this will be fair.

Edit: I didn't delete it. I edited it. :)

I understand this must be hard on you. I'm sure there will be some unfairness, or some people will be checked out more than others. its not right, or fair. I hope they can do it right, too.