~or as AP headlined it: Gov't. Collected Airline Passenger Data
Washington - The federal agency in charge of aviation security (TSA) collected extensive personal information about airline passengers even though Congress forbade it and officials said they wouldn't do it, according to documents obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
The TSA and several airlines were embarrassed last year when it was revealed that airlines gave personal information on 12 million passengers to the government without the travelers' permission or knowledge. An inspector general's report found TSA misled the public about its role in acquiring the data.
Bruce Schneier, a security expert who serves on the TSA-appointed oversight panel for Secure Flight, said the agency was explicitly told not to try to verify passengers' identity with commercial data.
"They're doing what they want and they're working around any rules that exist," Schneier said.
~Who watches the watchers? (The TSA can make sure you'll never fly in this town again.)
Posted by Cieciel at June 22, 2005 06:20 AM