interesting...
Massive terror screening draws outrage
By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 9 minutes ago
A leader of the new Democratic Congress, business travelers and privacy
advocates expressed outrage Friday over the unannounced assignment of terrorism
risk assessments to American international travelers by a computerized system
managed from an unmarked, two-story brick building in Northern Virginia.
Incoming Senate Judiciary Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting
record) of Vermont pledged greater scrutiny of such government database-mining
projects after reading that during the past four years millions of Americans
have been evaluated without their knowledge to assess the risks that they are
terrorists or criminals.
"Data banks like this are overdue for oversight," said Leahy, who will take
over Judiciary in January. "That is going to change in the new Congress."
The Associated Press reported Thursday that Americans and foreigners crossing
U.S. borders since 2002 have been assessed by the Homeland Security
Department's computerized Automated Targeting System, or ATS.
The travelers are not allowed to see or directly challenge these risk
assessments, which the government intends to keep on file for 40 years. Some or
all data in the system can be shared with state, local and foreign governments
for use in hiring, contracting and licensing decisions. Courts and even some
private contractors can obtain some of the data under certain circumstances.
"It is simply incredible that the Bush administration is willing to share
this sensitive information with foreign governments and even private employers,
while refusing to allow U.S. citizens to see or challenge their own terror
scores," Leahy said. This system "highlights the danger of government use of
technology to conduct widespread surveillance of our daily lives without proper
safeguards for privacy."
The concerns spread beyond Congress.
"I have never seen anything as egregious as this," said Kevin Mitchell,
president of the Business Travel Coalition, which advocates for business
travelers. It's "evidence of what can happen when there isn't proper oversight
and accountability."
By late Friday, the government had received 22 written public comments about
its after-the-fact disclosure of the program last month in the Federal
Register, a fine-print compendium of federal rules. All either opposed it
outright or objected to the lack of a direct means for people to correct any
errors in the database about themselves.
"As a U.S. citizen who spends much time outside the U.S., I can understand
the need for good security," wrote one who identified himself as Colin Edmunds.
"However, just as I would not participate in a banking/credit card system where
I have no recourse to correct or even view my personal data, I cannot accept
the same of my government."
Privacy advocates also were alarmed.
"Never before in American history has our government gotten into the business
of creating mass `risk assessment' ratings of its own citizens," said Barry
Steinhardt, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union. "We are stunned"
the program has been undertaken "with virtually no opportunity for the public
to evaluate or comment on it."
The Homeland Security Department says the nation's ability to spot criminals
and other security threats "would be critically impaired without access to this
data."
And on Friday as the normal daily flow of a million or more people entered
the United States by air, sea and land, the ATS program's computers continued
their silent scrutiny. At that Virginia building with no sign, the managers of
the National Targeting Center allowed an Associated Press photographer to
briefly roam their work space.
But he couldn't reveal the building's exact location. None of the dozens of
workers under the bright fluorescent lights could be named. Some could not be
photographed.
The only clue he might have entered a government building was a montage of
photos in the reception area of President Bush's visit to the center. But there
was only one guard and a sign-in book.
Inside, red digital clocks on the walls showed the time in Istanbul, Baghdad,
Islamabad, Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney. Although billboard-size video
screens on the walls showed multiple cable news shows, there was little noise
in the basketball-court-sized main workroom. Each desk had dual computer
screens and earphones to hear the video soundtrack. Conferences were held in
smaller workrooms divided by glass walls from the windowless main room.
Round the clock, the targeters from Homeland Security's Customs and Border
Protection agency analyze information from multiple sources, not just ATS. They
compare names to terrorist watch lists and mine the Treasury Enforcement
Communications System and other automated systems that bring data about cargo,
travelers and commercial workers entering or leaving the 317 U.S. ports,
searching for suspicious people and cargo. Almost every person entering
and leaving the United States by air, sea or land is assessed based on ATS'
analysis of their travel records and other data, including items such as where
they are from, how they paid for tickets, their motor vehicle records, past
one-way travel, seating preference and what kind of meal they ordered.
Government officials could not say whether ATS has apprehended any terrorists.
Based on all the information available to them, federal agents turn back about
45 foreign criminals a day at U.S. borders, according to Homeland
Security's Customs and Border Protection spokesman Bill Anthony. He could not
say how many were spotted by ATS. Officials described how the system
works: applying rules learned from experience with the activities and
characteristics of terrorists and criminals to the traveler data. But they
would not describe in detail the format in which border agents see the results
or in which the databases store the results of the ATS risk assessments.
Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Paul Rosenzweig told reporters
Friday they could call it scoring. "It can be reduced to a number," he said,
but he clearly preferred the longer description about how the rules are used.
___ On the Net: DHS privacy impact statement:
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/privacy/privacy_pia_cbp_ats.pdf Associated
Press writers Leslie Miller and Beverley Lumpkin contributed to this report.
http://blog.thebayindogroup.com/
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