Wired: Feds Push Flier Background Checks

[Eugene]

Feds Push Flier Background Checks

By Ryan Singel

02:00 AM Aug. 15, 2005 PT

Just weeks after congressional investigators found that officials in
charge of a new airline passenger-screening system violated a federal
privacy law, the Department of Homeland Security is pushing Congress
to reduce oversight of the program and to allow it to use commercial
databases to screen for terrorists.

Changes proposed to next year's homeland security funding bill would
allow the controversial Secure Flight program to use background checks
and profiling to help determine if an airline passenger is a terrorist
despite not being on a terror watch list.

Additionally, the proposed changes would permit Secure Flight to be
rolled out to the nation's airports after Homeland Security chief
Michael Chertoff certifies the program will be effective and not
overly invasive. The current bill requires independent congressional
investigators to make that determination.

<snip>

A copy of the DHS proposal was provided to Wired News by an opponent
of the plan familiar with the negotiations, who did so on condition
of anonymity.

Democrats working on the homeland security bill confirmed that DHS was
lobbying for the changes, and vowed to fight to keep the original
language, which was worked out in conjunction with Republican
leadership this spring.

More: http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,68518,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1