Report: TSA Misled Public on Personal Data

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- The Transportation Security Administration misled the public about its role in obtaining personal information about 12 million airline passengers to test a new computerized system that screens for terrorists, according to a government investigation.

The report, released Friday by Homeland Security Department Acting Inspector General Richard Skinner, said the agency deceived individuals, the press and Congress in 2003 and 2004. It stopped short of saying TSA lied.
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The report comes at a sensitive time for the TSA, which is using airline passenger data -- which can include credit card information, phone number and address -- to test a computerized system for screening passengers, called Secure Flight.

Congress has said that TSA can't proceed with Secure Flight unless the Government Accountability Office reports that the technology ensures privacy and that the data is protected. That report is due Monday.

The report concluded that the TSA was inconsistent in protecting passengers' privacy as it developed a passenger prescreening system. It did acknowledge that the agency's environment for privacy has improved substantially.

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