FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media@dcaclu.org

WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed comments today on the proposed Aviation Security Screening Records (ASSR) database, which it says bears a striking and troubling resemblance to the planned traveler surveillance system known as Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II).

"The database at hand walks and talks like the controversial traveler surveillance proposal known as CAPPS II," said Katie Corrigan, an ACLU Legislative Counsel. "Neither the public nor its elected representatives in Congress can meaningfully counter the threats to privacy and civil liberties inherent in this database without full disclosure by the Department of Transportation."

"By all accounts, ASSR and CAPPS II would unnecessarily collect Americans' personal information and then use those personal details for a broad range of activities beyond any airline security function," Corrigan added. "Such a mission fails to increase safety at the same time as it limits our core freedoms."

The ACLU comments can be found at:
/privacy/spying/15165leg20030224.html