U.S. Demands Air Passenger Data

The government ordered U.S. airlines Friday to turn over personal information about passengers so it could test a system for identifying potential terrorists.

The move was expected but nonetheless brought protests from civil libertarians worried about invasions of privacy.

Under the system, called “Secure Flight,” the Transportation Security Administration will compare passenger data with names on two government watch lists: a “no-fly” list comprises known or suspected terrorists, and a “watch” list names people who should face tighter scrutiny before boarding planes.

“Secure Flight represents a significant step in securing domestic air travel and safeguarding national security information, namely, the watch lists,” the agency said in a notice announcing the order.

The transportation agency’s order gives 72 airlines until Nov. 23 to turn over computerized data for passengers who traveled on domestic flights during June.

The data -- known as passenger name records, or PNR -- can include credit card numbers, travel itineraries, addresses, telephone numbers and meal requests.

The latter can indicate a passenger’s religion or ethnicity.

Barry Steinhardt, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer, said a major problem was that the lists included the names of many people who were not security risks.

Among those subjected to extra scrutiny in recent months was Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). The singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam, is trying to get off the no-fly list after he was removed from a London-to-Washington flight because the list said he had links to terrorists.

The lists are “a hodgepodge of information, accurate and inaccurate,” Steinhardt said. “They’re the basement of the program, and the floor is rotten.”

The government has sought to improve its process for checking passengers since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers exposed holes.

The government’s first attempt was scuttled because of fears it would have access to too much personal information.

The transportation agency says Secure Flight differs from the previous plan because it does not compare personal data with commercial databases. The agency said, however, it would test the passenger information “on a very limited basis” against commercial data.

Under the current system, the government shares parts of the watch lists with airlines, which are responsible for making sure suspected terrorists don’t get on planes.

But the airlines don’t have access to everyone who is considered a threat to aviation because some of the names of known or suspected terrorists are classified.

People within the aviation industry say there are more than 100,000 names on the lists.