Government Officials to Test Revised Air Passenger Screening Program

August 1, 2003

Government Officials to Test Revised Air Passenger Screening Program
Plans are underway for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to begin testing a revised air passenger screening program, called CAPPS II, following hundreds of complaints from individuals who said the original plan was an invasion of privacy.

According to CNN.com, government officials withdrew the initial program approximately seven weeks ago after concerns were voiced about it. The new plan will compile routine information that travelers provide when securing reservations and compare it to commercial databases to confirm their identity.

The information will now only be kept by the government for several hours following travel, versus up to 50 years in the original proposal. The program will not record bank records, credit data or medical records from travelers. CAPPS II is scheduled to launch late this year or early 2004.

For more on this story, visit CNN.com.