US to create 'risk assessments' of air passengers
Published: 05 Dec 2006 12:45 GMT
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has implemented a data-mining scheme for all passengers travelling to the US, including travellers from the European Union.
The Automated Targeting Scheme (ATS) is a data-mining system that will let the agency create "risk assessments" of tens of millions of travellers. The information will be held for 40 years, and even US citizens will have no right to view those risk assessments.
"With respect to the data that ATS creates, ie, the risk assessment for an individual, the risk assessment is for official law enforcement use only and is not communicated outside of CBP [Bureau of Customs and Border Protection] staff, nor is it subject to access under the Privacy Act," said a DHS privacy impact assessment of the scheme.
Risk assessments will be used to determine whether the subject is deemed a security threat, or is likely to contravene any article of US law. However, DHS has admitted that innocent passengers may not even be aware that information on them is being mined, and risk assessments formed.
"ATS is a system that supports CBP law enforcement activities, as such an individual might not be aware of the reason additional scrutiny is taking place, nor should he or she as this may compromise the means and methods of how CBP came to require further scrutiny," said the DHS.
The data is initially collected from both government and commercial sources, including airline reservations. So-called Passenger Name Record (PNR) data may include passenger name, address, contact details, flight details, frequent flyer details, accommodation details, and general remarks.
Once collected, the data is fed into the Treasury Enforcement Communications System, an "overarching law enforcement information collection, targeting, and sharing environment," according to a DHS document.
Access to the data will be granted to law-enforcement bodies, the secret service, and also "contractors, grantees, experts, consultants, students, and others performing or working on a contract, service, grant, co-operative agreement, or other assignment for the Federal government."
No mention is made of the public being able to access the data collected on them. There is a mechanism for redress should incorrect or inaccurate data be collected — but how passengers would know that incorrect data is being held has not been explained by the DHS. The data can be corrected through the redress process. Once this happens, risk assessments are reformulated in real time.
Electronic rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called this an "invasive and unprecedented data-mining system," and called for the Government to delay implementation of the scheme until there had been informed public debate. The ATS scheme was implemented on Monday.
"The Government is preparing to give millions of law-abiding citizens 'risk assessment' scores that will follow them throughout their lives," said EFF senior counsel David Sobel.
"If that wasn't frightening enough, none of us will have the ability to know our own score, or to challenge it. Homeland Security needs to delay the deployment of this system and allow for an informed public debate on this dangerous proposal."
Under a deal with the European Union, the DHS can electronically access PNR data from air carriers' reservation and departure control systems within the EU.
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