Scoop’s Views

When it enacted the Privacy Act in 1974, Congress sought to restrict the amount of personal information that federal agencies could collect and, significantly, required agencies to be transparent in their information practices. The Privacy Act is intended “to promote accountability, responsibility, legislative oversight, and open government with respect to the use of computer technology in the personal information systems and data banks of the Federal Government[.]” Adherence to these requirements is critical for a system like Secure Flight.

Tags: airlines, database, datamining, DHS, EFF, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, passenger security, personal data, privacy, Privacy Act of 1974, Secure Flight, Technology, terror suspects, Transportation Security Administration, TSA