Pacific Views

Don't plan to fly in the US this summer (or after) ...

... unless you feel like sharing your travel plans with the feds.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Homeland Security will implement its CAPPS II passenger screening system sometime this summer.

Under that system, airlines will send passenger information to a commerical database operator when a passenger checks in for their flight. The database operator then checks that info against databases compiled by local law enforcement agencies, and by the FBI and CIA. After this check, the passenger will be assigned a score and a color code will be sent back to the airline. Green means that the passenger can board the plane; Yellow means that they will need more screening; and Red means that the passenger won't be allowed to fly (and may be subject to arrest).

According to the feds, CAPPS II will be an effective way to keep terrorists from boarding airplanes. Opponents, however, say that the new system probably won't work, and certainly will be an invasion of passengers' privacy.

CAPPS II will give the government the ability to track the location of all air travelers, said Lee Tien, staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy advocacy group in San Francisco.

"In effect, it's an ID requirement for being able to fly and a forerunner to a national ID system," Tien said. He and others also worry about the government having access to confidential personal and financial data. [...]

Tien, however, remains skeptical that the government or its contractors will be able to honor the privacy promises it has made. He said he believes the chief problem with CAPPS II is that it will lull people into a false sense of security.

"Then we'll have the worst of both worlds: no real security against dedicated attackers, but a massive social surveillance system which will affect every American," Tien said.