Many of you will be taking to the skies this week for holiday travel and chances are you've already been screened through a new TSA security effort. It’s a behind the scenes screening you probably didn't even notice. ABC2 News Joce Sterman explains what's being done and why privacy experts say they're concerned.
We're all used to the security lanes and the screening. In the post 9-11 world, they're a normal part of air travel. But TSA has added an additional layer of security and it’s flying under the radar for most of us. TSA spokeswoman Lauren Gaches explains, "Passengers may see that their airlines are phasing in TSA's Secure Flight program."
The program is a spinoff of sorts from the well known government watch lists designed to keep potential threats off commercial planes. Secure Flight prescreens people against those lists long before they step into the airport. Gaches says, "Passengers may see that their airlines are prompting them for some additional information when they book their ticket."
And that means when you're buying your ticket, you'll have to give your full name, gender and your date of birth after giving all the other information you supply to the airline. TSA is clear though, their agency isn’t collecting or using the commercial information you submit to do its matching.
Airlines are slowly being phased into the program. So far major carriers including Southwest, Air Tran, United and American are already asking for the extra information, according to their websites.
Privacy experts are a bit nervous about the program. Marc Rotenberg with the Electronic Privacy Information Center says, "The intent may be very good but there are always hidden risks." Rotenberg, on behalf of EPIC, has testified before Congress about Secure Flight, which came under fire in 2006 when the Government Accountability Office found potential privacy problems with the program.
Rotenberg says there have been improvements, but he still has serious concerns about how your information will be safeguarded. He tells ABC2, "I don't think our systems of oversight and accountability have kept up with these new forms of government access."
But TSA reps say they've gone to great lengths to keep your identity safe, developing what they call a comprehensive privacy plan. And they're going to need it. The agency says its goal is to vet 100% of all domestic and international flights by the end of next year. And chances are, if you're taking a flight this holiday, you may have been vetted and simply never noticed. Gaches says, "If you have your boarding pass in hand, the Secure Flight process will have already been completed."
