# blacklists and databases of travelers

- Author: Joichi Ito
- Date: 2003-03-01T23:20:31Z


CNNU.S. plan: Threat level for every flier
ACLU objects, calls background checks unconstitutional

Friday, February 28, 2003 Posted: 1:55 PM EST (1855 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Civil liberties groups are objecting to a government plan for a new system that would check background information and assign a threat level to everyone who buys a ticket for a commercial flight.This affects everyone in the world.

There already exists a Global Regulatory Information Database (GRID) which tracks potential criminals globally based on a variety of profiling techniques. It would be seem natural to expand this international database.

Recently, the US and Canada have created the Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Records (API/PNR) database on "high-risk travelers" traveling between US and Canada. The API/PNR system will in place Spring 2003. Citizens won't know how they get on this list so they won't know how to get off. You don't have to be a criminal to get on this list. You just have to fit the profile.

As the world starts to create blacklists based on various profiling techniques, the databases held by a variety of countries will contain data about citizens from other countries, who by default, have no rights Even if you have rights in your own country, this doesn't help you much when you find yourself at some airport in some other country on some blacklist for some reason which you have no access to.

I wonder if this blog post increases my "threat level"...





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