Congress Slams CAPPS II 

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government's controversial airline passenger-screening system remains flawed and behind schedule, according to a congressional report released on Thursday.

The system would check passengers' utility bills, mortgage payments and other private records in an attempt to weed out potential hijackers.

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Originally scheduled for a November 2003 rollout, the Department of Homeland Security now does not know when it will have the Computer Assisted Passenger Profiling System II ready, congressional investigators at the General Accounting Office found.

Researchers have had difficulty obtaining passenger data from airlines to test the system, the GAO said in a report. The agency also still must take steps to prevent misuse of that data, the GAO said.

"We believe that these issues, if not resolved, pose major risks to the successful development, implementation and operation of CAPPS II," the report said.

Announced a year ago, the passenger profiling system would comb government intelligence, consumer profiles compiled by marketing companies, and other private-sector databases to verify passengers' identities and determine if they have criminal records or links to militant groups like al Qaeda.

Government officials have said they would not be able to access personal information but only see a "threat assessment level" that would flag certain passengers for further scrutiny.

The program has attracted widespread public protest, and airlines that have cooperated have faced a fierce backlash.

Testifying before a congressional hearing on airport security, a Homeland Security official acknowledged that the system had a long way to go.

"We acknowledge and agree with much of the report from the GAO. I would say, however, that we're encouraged about the fact that we're taking our time to get this right," said Tom Blank, assistant administrator for security policy at the Homeland Security Department's Transportation Security Administration.

Delta Air Lines Inc. pulled out of a pilot program last spring after a threatened boycott, while JetBlue Airways Corp. and Northwest Airlines Corp. have been hit with class-action suits following revelations that they secretly gave passenger data to government researchers.

Researchers still must test the accuracy of the system and the information it relies on, and need to develop effective oversight and security programs to prevent abuse, GAO said.

The Homeland Security Department must also win cooperation from foreign countries and ensure that passengers are not left vulnerable to identity theft, the report said.

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