DOT News
02-12-2004, 05:44 PM
Posted by DOT News on March 12, 2003 at 15:01:56:
March 11, 2003
TSA's CAPPS II Gives Equal Weight to Privacy, Security
Privacy and security are equal priorities of the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) as it develops the next generation of the Computer
Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II), Adm. James M. Loy, TSA
administrator, said today.
CAPPS II is an enhanced system to confirm the identities of passengers and
to identify foreign terrorists or persons with terrorist connections before
they can board U.S. aircraft. The carefully limited system is being
developed in compliance with the Aviation and Transportation Security Act,
which Congress passed in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,
2001.
TSA officials continue to meet with stakeholders to discuss privacy and
civil liberties issues related to the security program. All views will be
carefully considered as TSA develops the protocols that define the system as
well as the privacy strategy. In addition, briefings are held regularly
with congressional leaders regarding CAPPS II development.
"TSA has sought to meet the urgent need to heighten security at airports as
we press the war against terrorists. We will accomplish this without
compromising the privacy and civil liberties enjoyed by every American,"
Adm. Loy said.
Lockheed Martin Management and Data Systems is assisting TSA in developing
CAPPS II, which in less than five seconds will confirm a passenger's
identity and score any potential terrorism-related threat to aviation.
Once CAPPS II is in operation, travelers may well notice that fewer
passengers will be selected for additional screening after they go through
the security checkpoint; "enhanced" screening of individuals who clearly
pose no threat of terrorism will be eliminated. TSA expects to test CAPPS II
this spring and implement it throughout the U.S. commercial air travel
system by the summer of 2004.
As part of the pre-screening system, every U.S. commercial air carrier would
provide TSA only with the information all airlines will collect during the
normal reservation and ticketing process.
Subsequently, TSA's CAPPS II will receive scores generated from commercial
databases which are routinely used millions of times a day by private
enterprises in connection with job candidates or market research and which
are already subject to legal and privacy protections. TSA will not see the
data used to generate those scores. Further, once a passenger's travel is
complete, TSA will not retain any information whatsoever about that
traveler.
Some critics have erroneously contended that a parking ticket or late credit
card payment would keep someone from flying. This is simply inaccurate.
Indeed, credit ratings-bad or good-will not lead to enhanced scrutiny at the
airport.
The vast majority of passengers identified by CAPPS II will score "green"
and need only normal screening, dramatically reducing the number of
travelers who undergo additional screening at the security checkpoint. A
small percentage of passengers with scores in the "yellow" range will need
to have some additional scrutiny.
Few of the close to two million passengers who fly each day will trigger
"red," blocking them from flying and drawing the attention of law
enforcement.
"Except in cases where terrorist connections are found, the government,
including TSA screeners, will never see or hold the commercial information
used to conduct a analysis, which will be discarded when the flight is
over," Adm. Loy said. "CAPPS II will dramatically enhance customer service
by identifying the vast majority of air travelers as innocent passengers who
deserve to be screened efficiently and protected as they fly. The privacy
rights of all passengers will be honored."
When CAPPS II is implemented, an independent ombudsman will be available to
address concerns of individuals who believe they have been incorrectly
singled out for additional screening.
TSA asked Delta Air Lines to provide assistance during the early development
of the system's infrastructure to be certain that TSA can obtain the
necessary passenger reservation and ticketing data from airlines. This data
will be limited to name, address, telephone number and date of birth of the
passenger. It will not be used to generate risk scores in this initial
infrastructure test. Delta has no role in directing or supervising the CAPPS
II program, nor is it conducting any sort of background checks on behalf of
TSA.
"We are grateful for the assistance provided by Delta Air Lines," Adm. Loy
said. "Delta is not only sophisticated in terms of technology and data
security, but has been consistently sensitive to privacy issues, as we have
been."
March 11, 2003
TSA's CAPPS II Gives Equal Weight to Privacy, Security
Privacy and security are equal priorities of the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) as it develops the next generation of the Computer
Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II), Adm. James M. Loy, TSA
administrator, said today.
CAPPS II is an enhanced system to confirm the identities of passengers and
to identify foreign terrorists or persons with terrorist connections before
they can board U.S. aircraft. The carefully limited system is being
developed in compliance with the Aviation and Transportation Security Act,
which Congress passed in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,
2001.
TSA officials continue to meet with stakeholders to discuss privacy and
civil liberties issues related to the security program. All views will be
carefully considered as TSA develops the protocols that define the system as
well as the privacy strategy. In addition, briefings are held regularly
with congressional leaders regarding CAPPS II development.
"TSA has sought to meet the urgent need to heighten security at airports as
we press the war against terrorists. We will accomplish this without
compromising the privacy and civil liberties enjoyed by every American,"
Adm. Loy said.
Lockheed Martin Management and Data Systems is assisting TSA in developing
CAPPS II, which in less than five seconds will confirm a passenger's
identity and score any potential terrorism-related threat to aviation.
Once CAPPS II is in operation, travelers may well notice that fewer
passengers will be selected for additional screening after they go through
the security checkpoint; "enhanced" screening of individuals who clearly
pose no threat of terrorism will be eliminated. TSA expects to test CAPPS II
this spring and implement it throughout the U.S. commercial air travel
system by the summer of 2004.
As part of the pre-screening system, every U.S. commercial air carrier would
provide TSA only with the information all airlines will collect during the
normal reservation and ticketing process.
Subsequently, TSA's CAPPS II will receive scores generated from commercial
databases which are routinely used millions of times a day by private
enterprises in connection with job candidates or market research and which
are already subject to legal and privacy protections. TSA will not see the
data used to generate those scores. Further, once a passenger's travel is
complete, TSA will not retain any information whatsoever about that
traveler.
Some critics have erroneously contended that a parking ticket or late credit
card payment would keep someone from flying. This is simply inaccurate.
Indeed, credit ratings-bad or good-will not lead to enhanced scrutiny at the
airport.
The vast majority of passengers identified by CAPPS II will score "green"
and need only normal screening, dramatically reducing the number of
travelers who undergo additional screening at the security checkpoint. A
small percentage of passengers with scores in the "yellow" range will need
to have some additional scrutiny.
Few of the close to two million passengers who fly each day will trigger
"red," blocking them from flying and drawing the attention of law
enforcement.
"Except in cases where terrorist connections are found, the government,
including TSA screeners, will never see or hold the commercial information
used to conduct a analysis, which will be discarded when the flight is
over," Adm. Loy said. "CAPPS II will dramatically enhance customer service
by identifying the vast majority of air travelers as innocent passengers who
deserve to be screened efficiently and protected as they fly. The privacy
rights of all passengers will be honored."
When CAPPS II is implemented, an independent ombudsman will be available to
address concerns of individuals who believe they have been incorrectly
singled out for additional screening.
TSA asked Delta Air Lines to provide assistance during the early development
of the system's infrastructure to be certain that TSA can obtain the
necessary passenger reservation and ticketing data from airlines. This data
will be limited to name, address, telephone number and date of birth of the
passenger. It will not be used to generate risk scores in this initial
infrastructure test. Delta has no role in directing or supervising the CAPPS
II program, nor is it conducting any sort of background checks on behalf of
TSA.
"We are grateful for the assistance provided by Delta Air Lines," Adm. Loy
said. "Delta is not only sophisticated in terms of technology and data
security, but has been consistently sensitive to privacy issues, as we have
been."