Would You Hand Your Data Over To The TSA To Get Through Airport Security Faster?
Would you volunteer to have your Internet history and consumer data analyzed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its contractors in exchange for a shorter line at airport security? The TSA is betting that most Americans would.
A series of request for information papers (RFIs) posted on the TSA's website back in January indicate the agency is exploring the option of data-mining travelers who want to bypass much of the security line. As one of the papers put it, the TSA is looking for a target market of "U.S. Citizens, (who) volunteer to participate, and are willing to provide some information about themselves that can be used to evaluate the degree of risk posed by that individual to the aviation transportation system."
Although the papers analyzed by Fast Company don't specifically mention browsing Internet history, they do indicate that the TSA and its contractors are looking for personal information above and beyond your standard address and Social Security number, and it's certainly looking for publicly available profiles of American citizens by large marketing firms.
