Traveler screening system delayed

An airline passenger-screening program to target terrorists faces further delay as government officials grapple with revelations that a third airline turned over 1 million passenger records for the initial secret tests.

Testing of the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening program (CAPPS II) was scheduled to begin this month, but officials say it might be the end of the year before privacy concerns are addressed and final program tests can proceed.

American Airlines late Friday said the Transportation Security Administration requested 1.2 million passenger itineraries in June 2002 for data-mining research to detect patterns of terrorism.

American Airlines spokesman John Hotard said, “No passengers were harmed by the transfer of the data.”

Northwest and JetBlue Airlines last fall denied giving passenger name records to the TSA and another government agency for similar testing, but after press reports this year, they confirmed that millions of records were shared. All three airlines now face class-action lawsuits from passengers claiming violations of privacy.

A statement issued by the TSA says the Homeland Security Department is reviewing how the passenger data were handled and whether the transfer violated privacy laws.

Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican and chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, said she is concerned that all three airlines are sharing passenger data and that she is working with Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut Democrat and ranking member, to conduct oversight of the program.

“This latest incident raises new questions about [the Department of Homeland Security’s] commitment to ensuring transparency in its operations and supporting privacy values,” Miss Collins said.

The public backlash has airlines refusing further participation in the study. TSA cannot continue testing without the data.

TSA has the authority to force airlines to turn over the records, but an official said the agency instead is leaning toward putting its request through a “full-blown regulatory process,” so that records of government activity would be open to a skeptical public.

“We need to construct a process by which these airlines can transmit data for testing purposes and in a fashion that upholds their privacy policy,” the official said.

TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield said that testing could begin as early as in six months and that no final decision has been made on how it will proceed.

“Because of the sensitivities to privacy issues, we are determined to take the most publicly viewable and publicly participatory route that is in everyone’s best interest,” Mr. Hatfield said.

CAPPS II plans to check the passenger information against government watch lists and commercial databases to confirm identity and airline flight risk.

Under the color-coded system, green would allow passengers to pass through regular screening, yellow would indicate additional screening is needed and red would require rigorous screening and perhaps a ban from air travel.

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