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Barr
Submits Formal Objections to Passenger Profiling System
Labels Proposal "Unconstitutional," "Unfair" and "Ineffective"
September
30, 2003
ALEXANDRIA,
VA --Former Congressman Bob Barr today filed a formal objection
to the government's proposed passenger profiling system, commonly
known by its acronym, "CAPPS II" (Computer Assisted Passenger
Pre-screening System). The Department of Homeland Security issued
its proposal, subject to public comment, earlier this summer. It
would establish a vast computer database, against which all airline
travelers would be subject to review before being given a color-coded
score allowing them to travel, being subject to further searches,
or detained and possibly arrested.
Barr, who occupies
the 21st Century Liberties Chair for Privacy and Freedom at the
American Conservative Union, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia,
submitted six pages of reasons why the proposed system violated
provisions of the U.S. Constitution, including citizens' right to
privacy. Barr also included in his objections, recommendations that
other, less intrusive and constitutional steps by the government
would be more likely to identify terrorists than the vast database
of information on the travelling public, whose only "crime"
leading the government to gather evidence against them, was that
they needed to travel by air.
Barr also noted
the fact that some 2.5 million people travel by air in the U.S.
each day, and that standard error rates applicable to large databases,
would yield thousands of errors affecting the travelling public.
The proposed system, Barr also noted, provides no meaningful way
for citizens stopped by error from travelling, or mistakenly arrested
attempting to travel, to correct the errors.
Barr called
on the Department of Homeland Security, and the Transportation Security
Administration, which would administer it, to halt the proposed
program now rather than pursue the unconstitutional proposal.
Many in the
Congress have raised similar concerns, and in fact action is currently
pending that would limit the implementation of the CAPPS II system."
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To
receive a copy of Congressman Barr's comments to the Department
of Homeland Security, contact Ian Walters at (703) 836-8602 x16,
or by email at iwalters@conservative.org
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