The TSA: Moving Beyond Myspace Stalker Stage
The TSA is continuing its quest to know everything about you. (And they've moved beyond just lurking on your Myspace and Facebook pages, trying to learn who you're crushing on.) As usual with news about the agency, this is one of those not-that-sexy-but-still-important travel stories.
The TSA, in what it says is an effort to help passengers, has proposed that flyers now provide their full name, birth date and gender when buying tickets. (Currently, you only have to give an initial and surname.) This data will go into the hopper with the PNR information the TSA already collects and will supposedly reduce false positives when comparing passengers to no-fly lists.
Understandably, airlines and travel agents are against this proposal, as it could make people less willing to leave home. Though travel providers will have to ask for your info, you wouldn't be forced to give it--at least in theory. Those who don't will be "more likely to experience delays, be subjected to additional screening (or) be denied transport," the TSA says.
As much as we'd like to believe it has our best interests at heart, turning over our personal information to the government won't necessarily keep bombs off planes. Maybe the TSA should worry less about data mining and more about, you know, improving its ineffective screening process.
Related Stories:
· TSA Plan To Gather More Data Protested [USA Today]
· Airport Security Still Laughable [Jaunted]
· The TSA Knows You Like the Aisle Seat [Jaunted]
[Photo: Changa_Lion]
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