Administration Plays Down ATS Threat to Privacy
A senior Bush administration official on Tuesday played down claims by rights activists that the federal government assigns terror risk scores to millions of people who enter or leave the United States. The U.S. Automated Targeting System, or ATS, a computerized program that collects personal data on travelers and retains it for up to 40 years, has come under fire in recent weeks from rights activists who say it violates privacy laws and a congressional funding ban.
U.S. official says no terror "scores" for travelers, Reuters, December 19, 2006.
