New Airport Screening System Debated

New Airport Screening System Debated
Albuquerque Tribune, NM

March 03, 2004

- The Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System
II, or CAPPS II, considered a major improvement on
current security measures, is awaiting implementation
- yet it comes with many concerns about passenger
privacy. Although proposed to reduce terror threats,
the program is the cause of protest by some travelers
and privacy organizations.

As most business travelers already know, CAPPS II is a
new airline security system designed to check
passenger names against government databases to verify
identity and expose terrorists. The system would
screen travelers to identify potentially threatening
passengers. 

Recent sources explain that several facets of CAPPS II
have not been thoroughly studied, and its
implementation, which had been scheduled to occur this
summer, seems impossible. Auditors declared the
program to be full of holes and behind schedule, while
lawmakers are concerned with privacy as well as
technical and civil rights issues. The estimated cost
of reprogramming the current computer systems could be
as much as $1 billion. 

Critics, although respectful of safety and security,
are also concerned with travelers' privacy. CAPPS I,
developed in the early 1990s, only uses information
about how a passenger paid for a ticket, and whether
the passenger booked a one-way flight, to determine
their level of security screening. It is not linked
with government databases, and only a passenger's name
is required upon screening. 

Today, however, the government is urging airlines to
surrender all passenger records to U.S. officials.
Under the CAPPS II program, each passenger would be
identified with a color-coded rating after screening.
Green signifies approval to board the aircraft, yellow
requires the passenger to be questioned further, and
red declares the passenger to be a suspected terrorist
or criminal - officials then refuse to allow the
person to board the flight. 

The Transportation Security Administration predicts
that the new system will reduce the number of
additional screenings - from 16 percent to 3 or 4
percent. The TSA, however, has met only one of eight
congressional requirements for CAPPS II and has not
assured the system's prevention of identity theft and
abuse of privacy. The TSA must meet all congressional
requirements before implementing the system. 

Many business travelers are concerned with the lack of
details surrounding CAPPS II. Travelers want to know
what information will be collected and how it will be
shared. As international businesses are growing more
diverse, many employees are concerned with the issue
of being wrongly targeted on security lists. There
also is concern that non-U.S. citizens could face
additional interrogation under the program.

Certain national organizations want to stop the
implementation of CAPPS II, saying that the system is
not consistent with privacy standards. A big issue is
that travelers might be wrongly coded as threatening
passengers. Some organization leaders stress that
Congress should require the TSA to provide information
to the public about the program's effectiveness, as
well as implications on privacy and civil liberties,
before launching the program. 

The TSA states that CAPPS II will provide a more
thorough approach to passenger screening by collecting
the traveler's full name, home address, phone number,
date of birth and itinerary, while protecting privacy
issues. This data would be fed into databases that tap
public records and computer banks to verify identity.
Upon identification, the system would compare the
traveler against files of suspected terrorists and
wanted criminals found in other databases. The system
should have little effect on the way business
travelers travel, and as far as privacy is concerned,
no medical records or financial data would be
requested.

For more information about CAPPS II, please visit the
TSA Web site at www.tsa.gov/public/index.jsp. 


(Ed Adams is chairman and CEO of Navigant
International. Comments can be sent to
biztraveler(at)navigant.com, or visit
www.navigant.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News
Service.)


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