Govt. Gives Details on Border Screening (AP)

[Eugene]

Govt. Gives Details on Border Screening
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
12:52 PM PST, November 3, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Every person entering or leaving the country could be subject
to data collection and risk assessment under the border security program
outlined in a federal document.

The Federal Register, in a report published Thursday, also said data collected
on travelers can be retained for up to 40 years.

The Department of Homeland Security on Friday stressed that the border
monitoring outlined in the notice was not a new program or an expansion of an
existing program. "There is nothing new here," said Homeland Security spokesman
Russ Knocke. "All that is new is that the department is fulfilling the spirit
of the Privacy Act by updating the federal record."

-snip-

It said the system builds a risk assessment for cargo, conveyance and travelers
based on criteria developed by the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

For air and sea passengers, it maintains information provided by the commercial
carrier, such as payment information, billing addresses, contact telephone numbers
and e-mail addresses.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-border-screening,1,5413506.story