Submitted Comments

170 From Thomas I, Berkeley, CA, 21 October 2004, 12:22:08 PM PST

Hello,

I flew on a commercial airline flight in June of 2004 and I am extremely disturbed to find out that all of my personal information that was gathered from me by the airline is to be demanded by the Transportation Security Agency for ingestion into a database that they will search and compare to mock terrorist profiles. I did not give anyone permission to do this and I demand that it stop.

The last time the TSA did this, they did it in secret, out of the sphere of public knowledge, handing off sensitive information to private contractors, who have published no results from this expensive boondoggle. It was bad then and its worse now that is clear TSA has learned no lesson from its heavyhanded gaming with the privacy of all Americans.

What if I end up on a "no-fly" list accidentally (or purposely)? There is no way a private individual could get off of this list, since it is secret, and the way you end up on the list is also secret, as well as the way of getting off, if there is one. As a citizen of the United States of America for 36 years, I demand that the TSA stop the cloak and dagger behavior and secret domestic spying. Do we need to keep reminding our government that this is not Communist China, where the citizens enjoy freedoms only at the pleasure of unelected officials? What has this world come to?!

Thank you

169 From Stephen H, San Diego, CA, 21 October 2004, 12:20:13 PM PST

Some questions that need to be answered:

1) What is the governments privacy policy, and who will have access to the information used for profiling?

2) Will any of the following info be used to determine ones elgibility to fly: Race, Sex, Religion, National Origin, Stance on War and Peace, Disability, Color, Origin of First, Middle, or Last Name, Age, or other personal factors?

3) If so-called "commercial databases" are used for Secure Flight, will any of the following cause one to be flagged:

* Persons who opt-out of marketing info at stores

* Persons with an unlisted phone number or address

* Persons who move frequently, such as College Students

* Persons whos last name is different from the other members of their family, such as adopted children

* Persons who use a PO Box Address

* Persons with phone numbers on the do-not-call list

* Children under age 18

* Persons who usually pay cash for purcahses and use prepaid services versus pay which check or credit cards

3) Will anyone be able to opt-out, and not have the government share their data with other government agiences, or not want the government to know at all?

4) If someone is ineligble to fly, will the person be entitled to a full explanation as to why they can't fly?

5) Will there be any recourse if one is detained, and what steps has TSA taken to inform passengers, airlines, and others what that procedure is, what info is needed, and how long it will take to prove that the government is wrong?

6) How long will the data used from one's travel be kept by the government?

7)Will medical, financial, or other data be used to keep one from flying?

168 From Roger D, 21 October 2004, 12:19:25 PM PST

The Constitution of the United States of America guarantees my privacy. You have no right to reveal any private information about American citizens to anybody, and that includes government agencies.

167 From Steve F, New York, Ny, 21 October 2004, 12:19:14 PM PST

We have been made painfully aware that numerous terrorist watchlists existed prior to 9/11/2001. The problem was a lack of integration of these lists. In addition, avenues to redress inaccuracies and violations of these screening lists need to be put in place.

Before rushing to implement 'Secure Flight', where serious issues of privacy and our civil liberties as Americans are at stake, due diligence and funding for integration of the existing lists and of air cargo screening should be put in place.

166 From Jonathan B, Honolulu, Hawaii, 21 October 2004, 12:18:36 PM PST

All show and no go - all hat, no cattle.

165 From Aaron C, Kihei, Hawaii, 21 October 2004, 12:17:59 PM PST

In the land of the free and home of the brave, we should not need an internal passport to travel. This orwellian-named "Secure Flight" is just more security smoke & mirrors, which in fact makes us less secure by divulging private information to rogue corporations and unchecked government organizations. Instead the TSA should be focused on cargo screening and other measures that don't require identity checks and privacy violations.

164 From S S, Seattle, WA, 21 October 2004, 12:17:36 PM PST

My Fellow American Citizens, please realize that we lost the War on Terror the minute we started strip-searching grandma and little Sally-Sue. Putting names on lists, when any smart terrorists can change their identity at will, is not going to protect America. My grandfather and father, both war veterans for this country, are named James Smith. If the TSA can put a T Kennedy on their no-fly list, they surely will be stupid enough to stick a J Smith on the list. Honest Americans are going to have to start changing their names, in order to avoid being stuck on secret Terrorist alias name lists. This is madness.

163 From anonymous, 21 October 2004, 12:15:35 PM PST

I am opposed to the ideas put forth in "Secure Flight" and ask that this measure be stopped. I believe that my privacy rights are being violated with this action as I have not given any permission that my flight information be shared. Moreover, I am not convinced that any information that might be gathered would be handled in a manner that would guarantee that it remains private and secure. The watch lists generated from this information is likely to be inaccurate with more innocent citizens being harassed and no real additional safety being achieved. The money spent of this program will not pay any real returns. We will be no safer. "Secure Flight" should be abandoned.

162 From anonymous, 21 October 2004, 12:11:53 PM PST

Here are the points - one by one.

Since when did the Executive Branch have the right to stop Americans from traveling?

More than 120,000 names are on terrorist watch lists that the TSA will use to screen fliers. Nowhere does the TSA mention testing the right of passengers to seek redress of an error. It is also mute on how a flier who is wrongly placed on the watch list could have his or her name removed.

No one who flew in June of 2004 gave their permission for that information to be turned-over to the government. This appears to be an illegal data dump as no Privacy Act notice was given.

The TSA has a horrible record on privacy. During the past two years, the TSA secretly obtained millions of travel records from several airlines and airline-reservation systems and passed these records on to private contractors.

TSA already has millions of travel records and ran testing on these records. Why do they need more records? What were the results of the earlier testing?

No one within the TSA has been punished for the earlier, secret privacy invasions.

The inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), still hasn't completed their investigation into all of TSA's previous privacy violations.

The terrorist watch lists are a mess. TSA will use lists that have been proven to be inaccurate in order to test a system that has no proven effectiveness: garbage in, garbage out.

The millions of tax dollars that will be spent on 'Secure Flight' would be better spent on things we know will work, such as cargo screening, better training for TSA employees, and point-to-point baggage matching.

This is America, not Communist China. Internal border controls are un-American.

161 From Seattle, WA, 21 October 2004, 12:10:16 PM PST

American citizens shouldn't be spied on by their own government. Why is the same administration that likes to proclaim that the terrorists hate us for our freedom so intent on destoying our freedom? TSA isn't about security; it's about authoritarian control.


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