AP: Feds Collect Data on Air Travelers

[Newsjock]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/20/AR2005062000799.html

By LESLIE MILLER
The Associated Press
Monday, June 20, 2005; 3:24 PM

WASHINGTON -- A federal agency collected extensive personal information about airline passengers although Congress told it not to and it said it wouldn't, according to documents obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

A Transportation Security Administration contractor used three data brokers to collect detailed information about U.S. citizens who flew on commercial airlines in June 2004 in order to test a terrorist screening program called Secure Flight, according to documents that will be published in the Federal Register this week.

... The contractor, EagleForce Associates, then combined the passenger name records with commercial data from three contractors that included first, last and middle names, home address and phone number, birthdate, name suffix, second surname, spouse first name, gender, second address, third address, ZIP code and latitude and longitude of address.

... "I'm just floored," said Tim Sparapani, a privacy lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union. "This is like creating an FBI file, not just some simple check, and then they're storing the data."

more

[babylonsister]

1. If Congress told them not to, I wonder who's paying

Eagle Force Assoc? They aren't doing it out of the kindness of their heart... follow the money!

[MindPilot]

2. "Congress told it not to and it said it wouldn't"...but did anyway

Somebody needs to be heading to jail.

[canadianbeaver]

3. Looks like there are lots of people in the US that need to go...

to jail.....think it's gonna happen....?

NO....its getting more pathetic by the day.....Wake Up America!!!!

[Trillo]

4. If I have a kid who always has a hand in the cookie jar

no matter what I tell him about not sticking his hand in that cookie jar, and further, he is growing fat from eating too many cookies: then am I going to keep telling him to not stick his hand in there all while keeping freshly stocked cookies in it, or am I going to take away the cookies and the cookie jar?

[satireV]

5. Federal Agency Collected Extensive Personal Data About Airline Passengers!

This is highly illegal.

AP: Feds Collect Data on Air Travelers
Monday June 20, 3:15 pm ET
By Leslie Miller, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal agency collected extensive personal information about airline passengers although Congress told it not to and it said it wouldn't, according to documents obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
A Transportation Security Administration contractor used three data brokers to collect detailed information about U.S. citizens who flew on commercial airlines in June 2004 in order to test a terrorist screening program called Secure Flight, according to documents that will be published in the Federal Register this week.

The TSA had ordered the airlines to turn over data on those passengers, called passenger name records, in November.

The contractor, EagleForce Associates, then combined the passenger name records with commercial data from three contractors that included first, last and middle names, home address and phone number, birthdate, name suffix, second surname, spouse first name, gender, second address, third address, ZIP code and latitude and longitude of address.

EagleForce then produced CD-ROMS containing the information "and provided those CD-ROMS to TSA for use in watch list match testing," the documents said.

According to previous official notices, TSA had said it would not store commercial data about airline passengers.

The Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits the government from keeping a secret database.

"I'm just floored," said Tim Sparapani, a privacy lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union. "This is like creating an FBI file, not just some simple check, and then they're storing the data."

TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield said the program was being developed with a commitment to privacy, and that it was routine to change the official definition of a system of records during a test phase.


http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050620/passenger_screening.html?.v=1

[Up2Late]

6. I guess I should have expected this too

I getting tired of these guys being so EVIL.:evilfrown:

[satireV]

8. What is amazing is.

The TSA admits they just changed the definition of a "record."

[darkism]

7. SSSS

Enough said.

[leveymg]

9. Lat and longitude of passenger home addresses? What were they planning

to do with that data? Use NSA satellites to watch United Airlines frequent flyers from space? Target AA passengers for ballistic missile sub launches?

How bizarre.:eyes: :crazy: :bounce:

[freeplessinseattle]

12. Yes, that struck me too, how very strange. n/t

[thecrow]

10. I think it's time to file a massive class action suit

Who's in?
Simply scorning and joking about this information is not enough.
These companies are not going to "get it" that We, the People of America, do not intend to take this anymore if we do not act.
This goes double for the credit card companies that sell and then make huge databases that OOPS! they got hacked.
The people who are making fun of the Dems because we never act on anything can stand to the rear.
It's time to act!
so.... who's in and where do we start?

[Up2Late]

11. I'm in, if it's free or it pays more than $5.25 per hour!

I need a Job that pays more than the absolute minimum that a person can be paid in this county.:banghead:

[ngGale]

13. Oh! knock me over with a feather...

who would have 'thunk' it? Doing one more thing they said they didn't do. Another violation of the Patriot Act!