"Airlines must give data to feds"

Saturday, November 13, 2004

Airlines must give data to feds 
The Washington (DC) Post 
 
 
WASHINGTON - The federal government said it will begin analyzing millions of
U.S. airline passenger records by the end of the month in a first step
toward creating a computerized screening system to protect the nation's
airlines from terrorist attack. 

The Transportation Security Administration yesterday ordered 72 carriers to
turn over by Nov. 23 computerized data for passengers who traveled on
domestic flights during June so it can begin testing a program called
"Secure Flight." The system seeks to consolidate various government watch
lists and improve the accuracy of comparing passenger names against those of
suspected terrorists. 

The program also aims to avoid public embarrassment and delays for hundreds
of innocent travelers - some of them members of Congress - who were stopped
by security officers in airports. The government effort has been met with
skepticism by conservatives and privacy-rights advocates. 

Justin Oberman, assistant administrator of transportation vetting and
credentialing, said the TSA soon will pick a contractor to help conduct
testing. If all goes according to plan, the new system will go into
operation in late spring or early summer of 2005, he said.


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