U.S. to Start Airline Background Checks

papau

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Tue Jan-27-04 02:35 PM
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U.S. to Start Airline Background Checks

U.S. to Start Airline Background Checks

http://transportationsec.com/ar/security_dhs_prepares_implement /

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HUTCHINSON_INTERVIEW?SITE=F...

U.S. to Start Airline Background Checks
By LESLIE MILLER Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Homeland Security officials say a government plan to check all airline passengers' backgrounds before they board a plane could be implemented by this summer.

It's such an urgent priority that the government will order airlines to provide background information on their customers to test the program, Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson said Monday.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Hutchinson said he wants to begin testing this spring. His spokesman, Dennis Murphy, said the plan could be fully operational by summer.<snip>

US-VISIT is in place at 115 airports and a dozen seaports and allows U.S. authorities to check people instantly against terrorist watch lists and a national criminal database.

It's CAPPS II that has been criticized by privacy advocates, who contend it infringes on civil liberties and might wrongly label people as security threats.<snip>

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/01/27/official_wants_a... /

Official wants airline plan tested this spring
1/27/2004

The government will order airlines to provide background information on passengers for a new security system that aims to keep dangerous people off planes, said Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary of homeland security, yesterday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Hutchinson said he wants to begin testing the system this spring.

The U.S. VISIT program went into operation Monday, with foreign visitors to the United States being fingerprinted and photographed upon entering the country. Ray Suarez gets two perspectives on the new antiterrorism program's feasibility<snip>

From Homeland Security handout: US-VISIT ... should be in place at airports and seaports by Dec. 31. US-VISIT uses scanning equipment to collect biometric identifiers -- such as fingerprints -- in an inkless process, along with a digital photograph of the visitor. Together with the standard information gathered from a visitor about their identity and travel, the new program will verify the visitor's identity and compliance with visa and immigration policies.

And from NPR video transcript on US Visit:

Secondly if we are going to put this entire huge data collection system into place, it has to be adequately funded so it can be done in a fair and efficient manner, in a way that doesn't harm our economic security interests, in a way that doesn't drive visitors and students and those coming to our country to do business away from us. That would be a harmful and unintended consequence. Congress only appropriated $378 million for the startup of this program. Experts estimate that it's going to take $20 billion to put it into effect in the comprehensive way that is contemplated. Are we prepared to pay that cost? And again the question comes back to what benefit? Is it really making us more secure or is it merely assembling a huge database of information that doesn't really tell us much of anything?