Business travelers may soon have one more item to stuff in their carry-on: a trusted-traveler card to speed them through security lines. The Transportation Security Administration plans to start testing a registered-traveler identification program in June, which will let those who volunteer for a background check avoid tight screening at the airport.
While civil liberties groups have questioned the plan’s merits, travel industry groups have welcomed it, calling the proposal a way to expedite travel and increase security without the costs and privacy concerns associated with CAPPS II, the TSA’s ongoing attempt to create a new computerized passenger-screening program.
[…]
But privacy advocates and civil libertarians say the idea is deeply flawed and may actually be a security risk.
“‘Trusted traveler’ is a big security problem because unless you have a tremendous amount of confidence in your process, it is easy to abuse — especially if there is any kind of insider help,” said Lee Tien, staff counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. In addition, the program smacks of a national ID program, even if it is voluntary, he said. “It is something we should not do lightly, and it is very easy for this sort of thing to spill over.”
read more at [www.wired.com]
Leave a Reply