Fergie's Tech Blog

Homeland Security Investigating Passenger Screening Program

An AP newswire article on Security Pipeline reports:

The Department of Homeland Security's top privacy official said Wednesday that she is investigating whether the agency's airline passenger screening program has violated federal privacy laws by failing to properly disclose its mission. The privacy officer, Nuala O'Connor Kelly, said the review will focus on whether the program's use of commercial databases and other details were properly disclosed to the public.

Under the 1974 Privacy Act, no governmental record-keeping system can be kept secret.

She said she also was concerned about the security of the system, known as Secure Flight, given that commercial data vendors have suffered widely publicized breaches. Kelly said she was not opposed to the government's use of commercial databases but said "we have to be thoughtful."

posted by Fergie @ 6/16/2005 03:53:00 PM