CAPPS II dead, but new system claims to aim for tighter focus

Even though Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has announced the death of CAPPS II, the computerized airline pax screening system, much to the delight of privacy advocates, the TSA is still working on a system to sort terrorists from the average travelling public by sorting through databases of personal data.

The TSA continues to report that it is developing a system that will search databases to determine whether or not passengers have any connection to terrorism or terrorist suspects. Apparently having learned their lesson from CAPPS II, the agency refuses to so much as provide the name for the system. Little by little, though, the details are starting to leak out. According to sources of the Federal Times, these are some of them:

• Checks against terrorist databases will be performed using significantly larger datasets and watch lists
• Passenger names may also be checked against criminal databases
• The concept of a "trusted traveler," in which frequent flyers voluntarily disclose additional information in exchange for expedited screening procedures, is still very much alive
• There is a heightened emphasis on reducing "false positives"  as much as possible, for obvious reasons

“We’re looking at a number of operational factors,” said TSA spokeswoman Amy Von Walter. The ability to quickly screen passengers and reduce the number of false positives are near the top of the list.

The same questions that came up with CAPPS II will haunt this "new" project. The same contractor that was developing CAPPS II, Lockheed Martin Corp., is working on this system, but under the original CAPPS II task order and $12.8 million award.  In fact, the TSA has a line item in its budget proposal to Congress that would fund CAPPS II in 2005 to the tune of $60 milion. Should the request be approved, all bets are on the money being spent on this next system.

FMI: www.tsa.gov