Performed Secret Background Checks On As Many As 47 Thousand Airline Passengers

Millions of British tourists and other travellers may have been secretly checked by the "terrorist detector" database introduced by Britain's Labour government, a practice which the new coalition government may end.

The move has sparked outrage among the civil liberties community in Britain. The London Daily Mail reports that some people buying airline tickets for travel in Britain were checked against a national police database, and their financial records and 'known associates' were scrubbed before being cleared for travel.

While the $1.7 billion system has reportedly not stopped a single terrorist, police say they have produced some 14,000 reports on travellers for "future use." That information can be shared nationwide.

The kind of information shared are details such as whether a passenger ordered a vegetarian meal, requested an over-wing seat, or someone traveling with a foreign-born spouse. It also flags people buying one-way tickets or booking seats at the last minute. Another tell for the system is a person with a history of booking flights and then not taking them.

Heathrow Airport

Also stored on the database are the traveler's home address, phone number, e-mail, passport information, and the names of family members ... all information typically given to a travel agent when booking a flight.

The British Home Office says the system has been used to apprehend murderers and rapists, and that it has led to the prevention of 1,000 people from entering the country, but did not release any information about the arrest or any terrorists. A source considered to be knowledgable on the topic indicated that the system was not infallible, but was designed to have the least possible intrusion into people's private lives.

FMI: www.homeoffice.gov.uk