- Last year, I wrote here that if Uncle Sam gets its
way, we'd all be on no-fly lists, unless the government gives us
permission to leave - or re-enter - the United States.
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- Now, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA)
has proposed a similar system for travel on commercial airlines WITHIN
the United States. Both systems will come into effect Feb. 19,
2008.
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- Under the TSA's "Advance Passenger Information
System (APIS) initiative," you'll need to obtain permission from the
U.S. government to travel on ANY commercial airliner or ship that goes
to or from the United States. You won't receive your boarding pass
until you are cleared by APIS. You'll also need permission to travel
through the United States (e.g., if you're changing planes at a U.S.
airport on a trip between two foreign countries). It doesn't matter if
you're a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Everyone will need
permission to enter - or leave - the United States.
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- Then, on Aug. 23, 2007, the TSA issued proposed
regulations for its "Secure Flight" program.
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- The TSA wants commercial airlines to submit
passenger information through a single DHS portal for both the Secure
Flight and APIS programs. This would result in one DHS system
responsible for watch list matching for all aviation passengers.
Naturally, the entire process - for both domestic and international
travel - will occur in total secrecy. If you're denied permission to
travel, you won't be able to appeal the decision to any court. Your
only recourse will be through the TSA bureaucracy. Essentially, you'll
be reduced to pleading with the TSA to say something like, "pretty
please, give me a boarding pass."
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- What this amounts to is essentially a reprise of the
infamous "internal passport" system in effect in the former Soviet
Union. In 1933, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin introduced "internal
passports" that prohibited Soviet citizens from leaving their place of
residence without permission. Over time, the internal passport became
the prime instrument of Soviet oppression over its citizens. It's bad
enough needing to ask Uncle Sam for permission to leave the United
States, and to reenter it. But an internal passport is a blueprint for
totalitarianism.
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- Mark Nestman, Privacy Expert & President
- The Nestmann Group www.nestmann.com
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