TSA to Use Information from Government & Private Databases to Pre-Screen Passengers

With the expansion of information collection, I often wonder, "How will my data be used"? Well, according to this article, the TSA is going to start using expanded government databases along with private databases to enhance their "pre-screening" ability. Currently, the TSA runs all travelers against a "no-fly" list.

Lets see:

The article says that data-mining is being used by Department of Homeland Security agencies like the TSA to keep track of suspected terrorists and criminals. The TSA uses it to take time off of lengthy pat-downs at the nation's airports. The TSA argued for this technique as a way to ensure that airports are truly safe but some privacy advocates are not happy with the technique.

The Times says that the TSA doesn't just conduct routine background and criminal checks on airline ticket holders anymore. They also use these databases to look out for red flags.
"I think the best way to look at it is as a pre-crime assessment every time you fly," Identity Project consultant Edward Hasbrouck told the Times. "The default will be the highest, most intrusive level of search, and anything less will be conditioned on providing some additional information in some fashion."

Travel ers Today dot com

The original article was featured in the NY Times -- which can be found here

The NY times article goes into greater detail:

It is unclear precisely what information the agency is relying upon to make these risk assessments, given the extensive range of records it can access, including tax identification number, past travel itineraries, property records, physical characteristics, and law enforcement or intelligence information.

I think with more and more people being made aware of just how much data they're leaving about -- these databases will eventually be under more scrutiny and *hopefully* restricted in their use.

So, the next time you're in the airport and you wonder why the guy next to you gets the metal detector and you get the body scanner -- it might now necessarily be by random chance.

Shucks!
Maybe they'll put households with an ATS subscriber on the no-fly list!

Do NOT under any circumstances allow yourself to be put through that scanner! It's being removed from some airports for safety reasons (and probably pending lawsuits) but the radiation level is unknown and so is the latency time of any damage. For all those F-wits know, they're giving everyone who walks through that thing cancer a few years down the road. It's bad enough you're going to go up in altitude for several hours and be exposed to the extra cosmic rays there. Ditto that advice on CT scans and PET scans, as well as regular x-rays. Not unless it's extremely necessary and the potential benefit far outweighs the known and unknown risks. Docs are far too cavalier about radiation exposure, and you're already getting plenty from Fukushima.

reply to post by MystikMushroom

Well it seems the American admin has a Long list that defines the term "suspested terrorist"-including conspiracy theorists.If I were American I would fly only in the direst +most urgent of emergencies-it would have to be a loved one on his or her deatbed on the other side of the country,or somesuch situation.Ii suppose businessmen+women don't have much of a choice,if the travel forms an integral part of their job description. If it came to vacations,I would drive-the journey is often as interesting as the destination,if not more so.I,as a South African,could just imagine the mayhem if an outfit like the TSA were groping SA people+their children-especially the Afrikaner demographic-officials would be off to the hospital with broken noses day after day+dentists would be noticing an uoswing in business,as no Afrikaner would stand for this-and I doubt the black population would either.We here are not used to this type of thing-and would not take kindly to us our our children being prodded,poked,groped+basically X-rayed to get on a plane-things would get Real ugly Real soon.

Looks like I wont be visiting the US anytime soon even though I have no reason to be on any of their lists. I just don't trust them nor would I allow them to touch my wife, daughter or little boy. It's bad enough going through HK international with all the travelers but at least no insanity like the TSA.

Did visit the US a couple of years ago to see some friends but couldn't wait to get back home, I wouldn't wish the place on my worst enemy, what a mess. Needless to say I was so happy when the plane landed in HK.

It seems the US has a list for just about everything and everyone. Next they will be checking the people at the supermarket to see if they can buy toilet paper.

There is a reason for this. The law has been used to manipulate and extort millions of people. Every political "crime" issue that is pushed, there are a dozen or so politicians behind the scenes making campaigns for themselves, and businessman behind them looking for a way to profit off of the situation.

In the future, if a mass surveillance is commonplace, all you have to do is get an enemy onto the list and suddenly the years of political wrangling it took to reach your goal can be done in a matter of months opposed to years.

In a sense, people can be happy less scapegoating will happen to everyday folk...