TSA to extend 'registered traveler' program

The Transportation Security Administration announced this week that it would continue a pilot program in 2005 that allows people to voluntarily submit their biographical and biometric information in order to speed through airport screening operations.

The Registered Traveler pilot program operates at five airports across the country, allowing participants to avoid sometimes lengthy screening lines by passing through a kiosk that asks for biometric information, such as a fingerprint or iris scan. Critics, however, remain concerned about how TSA will manage the program and ensure privacy, how passengers can resolve disputes, whether the effort will really improve security and how much the program will cost.

"TSA plans to continue to conduct a pilot technology program in 2005, in a limited number of airports, to test and evaluate the merits of the Registered Traveler concept," the agency announced Tuesday in a Federal Register notice.

The administration anticipates as many as 40,000 people to register. It also plans to conduct a representative survey of participants in 2005, and interview key stakeholders at select airports. All surveys and interviews will be voluntary and anonymous.

Under the program, participants voluntarily give TSA their personal information, including name, address, phone number and date of birth, along with biometric data. TSA then conducts a security assessment on each person that includes analysis of law enforcement and intelligence databases, and a check for outstanding warrants. Once approved for the program, participants get to pass through an expedited security checkpoint at airports.

"As far as things from a passenger standpoint, there are many questions to answer," said Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, which represents corporate business travelers. "It really comes down to what is this going to cost, what will the benefit be on average, and will there be enough of a marketplace for it so that it reaches a critical mass and makes a difference?"

Mitchell said the pilot programs appear to be working. He questioned, though, how TSA would manage a larger Registered Traveler program. For example, if only a small percentage of travelers register, then TSA will have to devote resources to an area that is not having much benefit. On the other hand, if the program is widely successful, then Registered Traveler lines might get so long that they draw resources away from regular screening lanes.

With regard to cost, Mitchell questioned how much travelers will eventually have to pay to participate. He also questioned whether the government will subsidize the program with taxpayer money, which might open up legal complications.

"The first time someone who's not well off sees this line and knows that he or she can't afford $150, but their tax monies are subsidizing the line, you're going to have people jumping all over it," he said. "It's not a very simple issue once you start peeling away at it."

Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Technology and Liberty Program, expressed concern about how data for the program will be used, managed and shared, and how passengers can resolve discrepancies.

"The concerns remain the same," Steinhardt said. "What's going to happen with all the data being collected, and are they going to expand Registered Traveler to a bigger program?"