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Government/Legislation
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U.S. government’s ATS program causes controversy
In a program to be kept on file for 40 years, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been assigning millions of international travelers computer-generated scores indicating their risk level of being terrorists or criminals.
Until this program, called Automated Targeting System (ATS), was recently disclosed, law-enforcement officials, congressional aides, and privacy advocates all believed this system was used to track cargo only. In reality, the records of travelers entering or leaving the United States—including American citizens—are assessed based on criteria such as motor vehicle records, one-way travel history, seating and meal preference, as well as where they are from and how they paid for their tickets.
DHS refers to ATS as "one of the most advanced targeting systems in the world" and has said the nation's ability to track criminals and other security threats "would be critically impaired without access to this data." Meanwhile, privacy critics have condemned the program. One even called it “the most invasive system the government has yet deployed.”
Presently, travelers are not allowed to see or directly challenge these risk assessments. However, the ATS data can be shared with state, local and foreign governments for use in hiring, granting licenses and security clearances, and in some cases is shared with courts, private contractors and Congress.
Jack O’Neill, chief operating officer for Carlson Wagonlit Travel, also expressed concern about “ the corporate travel implications of ATS, including the impact on legitimate business people choosing not to travel or limiting travel because of perceived or real privacy concerns, as well as the effect on travelers that may be erroneously flagged as a threat.”
Travelers should direct additional questions about ATS to their corporate travel departments.
Sources: The Associated Press, www.regulations.gov. (Keyword: automated targeting system / Document ID: DHS-2006-0060-0205. In the "Search for" field, select "All Documents.”)
