Privacy villain of the week: "Registered traveler" program

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Subject: Privacy Villain of the Week
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 12:17:49 -0500
From: Consumer Alert <info () consumeralert org>

Privacy Villain of the Week:
'Registered Traveler' enablers

The Transportation Security Administration announced last week that it will 
be initiating a pilot test program of its long-touted "trusted traveler,' 
now rechristened 'registered traveler' program. The program will be a 
'voluntary' (at the outset, anyway) internal biometric passport system set 
up at airports around the country. <http://cryptome.org/tsa031804.txt>


The idea is being sold to potential volunteers on the basis that turning 
over your iris-scan to the Department of Homeland Security will allow you 
to go through a less harassing experience at the airport.
How effective this will be at lessening hassle is unclear, however. The 
majority of the hassle at the airports for travelers comes at the metal 
detector gauntlet where air travel consumers must remove coats, keys, often 
shoes, take their laptop from its case, etc. Yet a TSA spokesman told Wired 
News, "the card is not a 'get out of security checks' card, and that those 
who register will still have to go through metal detectors. The program 
may, however, create designated lanes to speed registered travelers past 
long lines." <http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,62777,00.html>

Additionally, with the TSA insisting on pushing the CAPPS II passenger 
screening program, all of them will undergo a background check every time 
they buy an air ticket anyway. So the value of the background check a 
"trusted traveler" goes through is unclear. Even if he has already turned 
his iris over to Sec. Ridge, any future 'anomaly' in his credit or phone 
records could conceivably put him into the special scrutiny category that 
entails more invasive searches.

On the other hand, if TSA is being disingenuous and those who get the cards 
will undergo very little scrutiny, the system would be ripe for abuse, 
particularly by anyone with connections on the inside.

Given all this, it is unclear what the usefulness of the card will be, 
beyond establishing a biometric database for the federal government. The 
only practical effect would seem to be harassment of those who do not wish 
to be scanned and traced, since they will have to wait in longer lines to 
go through identical search procedures.

With what little information that has been put out by TSA so far, the 
program seems to be little more than a backdoor to a national 
biometrically-enabled ID program.

And the required privacy notices for the program have not been issued by 
TSA, which says they "may not" apply since the program is voluntary. The 
dearth of information leaves air travelers even more in the dark as to what 
may lie ahead.

Government's one-size-fits-all programs typically degenerate into 
one-size-fits-none, and security is no different. There may be a place for 
similar programs in a free and private air travel and air security market. 
But TSA is determined that command-and-control supplant market processes. 
Anyone who volunteers to be guinea pigs for this odd privacy-destroying 
program should think twice. There is nothing to indicate that surrendering 
privacy will lead to anything resembling more security under such a 
program. TSA hopes to get 5,000 volunteers for the pilot program. Don't do 
it. We don't need 5,000 unwitting privacy villains cultivating this process 
which deserves to die on the vine.

By James Plummer

The Privacy Villain of the Week and Privacy Hero of the Month are projects 
of the National Consumer Coalition's Privacy Group. Privacy Villain audio 
features occasionally available from FCF News on Demand. For more 
information on the NCC Privacy Group, see www.nccprivacy.org or contact 
James Plummer at 202-467-5809 or via email.  This release available online 
at <http://www.nccprivacy.org/handv/040326villain.htm>

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