As became known last week, US intelligence agencies have entered into computers and stored a variety of information about millions of people who entered or left the US in the last four years. All those crossing the US border – both US citizens and foreigners – acquired electronic dossiers without their knowledge. Based on the data collected in this way, each has been assigned an individual 'terrorist rating,' reports Associated Press.
It turned out that a wide variety of information ended up and was stored in the 'terrorist' dossier of each passenger of an airplane, ship, train or car crossing the US border. US intelligence agencies were interested in everything: where the person came from and lives, how they paid for their tickets and whether they bought them one-way or round-trip, what seat they chose during the journey, what kind of car they have, and even what food they prefer. Information about something unusual in the passenger's behavior is considered especially valuable. The information was collected from various sources, including US Customs and Immigration Service, the Treasury Department, and intelligence agencies, clarifies the British newspaper The Guardian.
All this information then came under close scrutiny by US law enforcement experts. Analyzing it, criminologists and psychologists 'on a scientific basis' drew conclusions about the degree of danger of a particular passenger and, depending on this, assigned them a certain terrorist or criminal rating. After these procedures, the dossiers are placed in the Automated Targeting System (ATS) of the US Department of Homeland Security and are retrieved from there with each new entry into the US.
Until now, the information collected by intelligence agencies about citizens was classified, so it was not possible to find out one's own rating. According to some data, starting this week, all air passengers arriving in the US will be openly rated for terrorist threat level.
It is not excluded that based on the rating, the authorities will conduct additional checks on passengers, or even detain suspicious individuals. The US authorities, however, claim that this will not cause inconvenience for passengers. Human rights activists fear that the authorities are introducing a 'catch-22' that will seriously make life difficult for those arriving in the US.
The innovation appeared after the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. Initially, notes The Guardian, the US authorities authorized its introduction solely to ensure the safety of transported goods. The main task that the intelligence agencies set for themselves was 'to detect, identify and neutralize suspected terrorists and their weapons and ammunition before they enter the US territory.' However, gradually the intelligence agencies got into the swing of it and first passengers, then crews of vehicles came under their control.
The US Department of Homeland Security considers ATS to be 'one of the most developed and advanced search systems in the world' and justifies the secret use of the system on grounds of national security. At the same time, US intelligence agencies particularly emphasize that 'no violation of citizens' rights occurs'.
Lawyers and human rights activists hold a different opinion. In their view, the covert collection of data on private individuals conducted by intelligence agencies for four years 'is one of the most aggressive and risky attempts to invade privacy made under the pretext of fighting terrorism,' notes Reuters. 'The introduction of the system means that the US government has assigned a terrorist rating to millions of American citizens without even informing them,' indignantly says Marc Tenberg, director of the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center. 'Perhaps this is the most aggressive system of collecting information about citizens that the US government has ever introduced. And in terms of the number of people who have come under its scrutiny, it has no equal,' another human rights activist David Sobell told Associated Press.