WashingtonWire - 2003-08-11
Homeland Security Revises CAPPS II Parameters
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on July 31 announced that in order to better protect individual privacy rights it has revised the parameters for how the Transportation Security Administration will manage information assessed by the second-generation Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, known as CAPPS II.
Under the revised plan, information on passengers will be retained by the government only for a few hours after travel is complete, rather than for 50 years as initially proposed.
DHS suspended development of the program two months ago after receiving criticism from business travelers, civil liberties advocates and lawmakers who feared it gave the government too much leeway to intrude on travelers' privacy.
"Travel managers were especially disturbed at the lack of information regarding the CAPPS II program, and the few answers we received to the questions we asked were less than reassuring," said Mark Williams, president of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives and director of travel and meeting management at PricewaterhouseCoopers. "I'm gratified that DHS is taking our objections to privacy incursions seriously, but it's time they reconciled projects within their own department. The Registered Traveler Program was initially intended to provide the government with all of this information—on a voluntary basis—to reduce the number of frequent travelers who had to bear close scrutiny. That project is still moving forward."
CAPPS II is being developed to take routine information that people provide when making reservations and compare it with commercial databases to confirm each passenger's identity. It will match against watch lists and other national security data to determine if a passenger has any links to terrorist or militant groups, as well as flag violent criminals with outstanding federal or state arrest warrants for law enforcement action. DHS expects to implement the new program by late this year or early next year, with officials saying they hope CAPPS II will help reduce passenger wait times by reducing the number of people who have to go through secondary screening or who are misidentified as potential terrorists.
U.S. Strengthens Visa Regs For Int'l Travelers In Transit
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State this month suspended two programs that allow certain international air passengers to travel through the United States without first obtaining a visa. The programs, known as the Transit Without Visa program and the International-to-International transit program do not affect U.S. citizens or citizens from visa waiver countries.
DHS issued instructions to all airlines to no longer allow passengers to use these transit programs. According to DHS, its agencies also are taking additional steps to increase security at airports and on airplanes that normally transport and process passengers under these programs. "These new measures are in addition to significant increases in aviation security implemented since Sept. 11, such as reinforced cockpit doors, deployment of federal air marshals, federalized baggage and passenger screening and armed federal flight deck officers piloting some jetliners," DHS said a statement. "It is the intention of both departments to reinstate the TWOV and ITI programs as soon as additional security measures can be implemented to safeguard the programs from terrorists who wish to gain access to the United States or U.S. airspace without going through the consular screening process." According to DHS, recent specific intelligence indicates that terrorist groups have been planning to exploit these programs. "The steps, while aggressive, are an appropriate response to the threat," said DHS Secretary Tom Ridge. "We know they will have an impact on international travelers, but we believe they are necessary in order to protect lives and property."
Commerce Dept. Creates Travel, Tourism Board
The U.S. Department of Commerce has created the long-awaited and much lobbied for U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotion Advisory Board, which will make recommendations directly to Secretary Don Evans on the implementation of an international advertising and promotional campaign to encourage travel to the United States.
Evans last week announced the 15 members of the panel, which was created in conjunction with legislation passed earlier this year that appropriated $50 million for this campaign. Eleven Travel Business Roundtable-member companies are represented on the new board: Jonathan Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels; Jonathan Linen, vice chairman of American Express; William Marriott Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott Hotels; Henry Silverman, president and CEO of Cendant Corp.; James Rasulo, president of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts; Barry Sternlicht, chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts; Glenn Tilton, chairman and CEO of United Airlines; Robert Taubman, chairman and CEO of The Taubman Co.; Noel Irwin Hentschel, chairman and CEO of American Tours Int'l; Manuel Cortez, chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas CVB; and Manny Stamatakis, board member of the Philadelphia CVB. Other members include Charles Gargano, chairman and CEO of Empire State Development Corp.; William Hyde Jr., president and CEO of Ruth's Chris Steak House; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Delaware North Co.; and Chris Von Imhof of the Alaska International Airport Tourism Marketing Council. The Secretary of Commerce will convene the first meeting on Sept. 8 in New York City.