More False Information From TSA

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
Date: June 23, 2004 9:13:26 PM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: More False Information From TSA


More False Information From TSA
By Ryan Singel
08:55 AM Jun. 23, 2004 PT

A top homeland security official told Congress that five major domestic
airlines turned over sensitive passenger data to the agency or its
contractors in 2002 and 2003, contradicting numerous statements by 
airline
and government officials and confirming some of the worst fears of 
privacy
advocates.

Delta, Continental, America West, JetBlue and Frontier Airlines secretly
turned over sensitive passenger data to Transportation Security
Administration contractors in the spring and summer of 2002, according 
to
the sworn statement of acting TSA chief David Stone. In addition, two 
of the
four largest airline reservation centers, Galileo International and 
Sabre,
also gave sensitive passenger information, including home phone numbers,
credit card numbers and health data, without disclosing the transfers to
travelers or asking their permission.

This is the third time in the past nine month that knowledge of the 
scope of
secret information disclosures by airlines has expanded, and now six of 
the
10 largest airlines are known to have given data to the government 
secretly.
Stone's disclosure also raises questions about whether TSA officials
intentionally withheld information from previous inquiries by the 
Government
Accounting Office, members of Congress and the Department of Homeland
Security's chief privacy officer, Nuala O'Connor Kelly.

In addition, the TSA or its contractors may have violated the Privacy 
Act,
which prohibits the government from compiling secret databases on 
Americans.
Officials could face civil and criminal penalties.

The TSA and its contractors sought the data because they were working 
on an
airline passenger screening system known as CAPPS II. They needed the 
data
to test whether their computer programs could detect terrorists out of 
the
million and half people who fly daily.

< snip >

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,63958,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1

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