'You Don't Need To Know What We Need To Know', Official Says

ANN April 1 Special Edition

Sources inside the security community say that the National Security Agency (NSA) will mandate an additional encrypted data stream enabling it to track any airplane anywhere at any time.

The source who was not authorized to speak to the media said that, after 9-11, it was imperative to know where every airplane is at all times. The agency is working with TSA to develop the criteria for the data it will collect. "The thinking is that even small airplanes can pose a significant security risk," the source told ANN.

"Pilots who are not doing anything wrong don't have anything to worry about. This is a benign as collecting data from cell phone calls and emails. But we need to see if there are patterns that develop that could point to a security risk."

The system would transmit encrypted data through the ADS-B Out transmitters to special receivers in air traffic control facilities around the country, though the locations of those receivers would remain classified. That data would then be transmitted over secure lines to servers at the NSA and analyzed for patterns that might indicate a security risk.

ACLU aviation attorney Bill Owerly vowed to fight the government over the collection of the data. "I contacted the agency, and was told 'you don't need to know what we need to know'. That's outrageous," Owerly said.

FAA Administrator Michel Huerta picked his head up off the desk and said "I know nothing."

FMI: www.nsa.gov