The Automated Targeting System or ATS is a United States Department of Homeland Security computerized system that, for every person who crosses U.S. borders, scrutinizes a large volume of data related to that person (see below), and then automatically assigns a rating for which the expectation is that it helps gauge whether this person may be placed within a risk group of terrorists or other criminals.
These ratings take many details into account, such as country of origin, how travel to the U.S. was funded, and the visitor's driving record. Other more mundane details also factor in, such as where the person is sitting on the flight and what they ordered for their meal.
The existence of such a system was first discovered by the public in November 2006, when a mention of it appeared in the Federal Register. The system was first implemented in the late 1990s, and was significantly expanded shortly after the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.
According to the Department of Homeland Security website, other
information that may be collected includes:
Date of reservation
Date(s) of intended travel
Other names on PNR
Number of travelers on PNR
Address
All forms of payment information
Billing address
Contact telephone numbers
All travel itinerary for specific PNR
Frequent flyer information
Travel agency
Travel agent
Code share PNR information
Travel status of passenger
Split/Divided PNR information
Identifiers for free tickets
One-way tickets
Email address
Ticketing field information
ATFQ fields
General remarks
Ticket number
Seat number
Date of ticket issuance
Any collected APIS information
No show history
Number of bags
Bag tag numbers
Go show information
Number of bags on each segment
Social Security information
Voluntary/involuntary upgrades
Received from information
All historical changes to the PNR
It fails all logic for an agency of the American government to gather this much information from any one individual. A man can be a terrorist irregardless of whether he has a social security number or not, and he can be of any profession, any color of skin, and any religion although Muslims are obviously at war with freedom loving democracies. Think how much power without a just cause, that puts into the hands of Homeland Security agents.
Homeland Security is empowered to become a Gestapo Agency in the future. For the present, their officers suddenly obtain the right to investigate any ordinary law abiding citizen who happens to be able to afford a plane ticket.
Why would the ability to purchase a plane ticket become a matter for investigation? Obviously the American government under George Bush Jr. went mad!
On December 19, 2006, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's FOIA Litigation for Accountable Government (FLAG) project filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security in federal court, demanding "immediate answers about an invasive and unprecedented data-mining system deployed on American travelers."
In this Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) seeks information about two electronic surveillance systems developed by the FBI: DCS-3000 and Red Hook.
Little is publicly known about these spying tools. DCS-3000 was developed in the wake of "Carnivore" or DCS-1000, a controversial surveillance system the FBI used several years ago to monitor online traffic through Internet service providers. One Department of Justice report said DCS-3000 was created to "to intercept personal communications services delivered via emerging digital technologies used by wireless carriers." According to the same report, Red Hook is a system developed to "collect voice and data calls and then process and display the intercepted information."
On May 7, 2007, a federal judge ordered the FBI to process and release documents responsive to EFF's request on a rolling basis. Those records will be posted here as EFF receives them.
Do you think the FBI respects the law? The EFF hasn't posted any revelations yet,
have they? Police agencies federally on down to local police departments are the
law. They are armed and we are disarmed. Sounds a little like Germany before World
War II doesn't it.
