JURIST - Paper Chase: Lawmakers to consider airline passenger screening system

Lawmakers convene on Capitol Hill Wednesday to consider the controversial airline passenger screening system designated as CAPPS (Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System) II. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation will hold hearings on the program beginning at 10 AM ET. Read a subcommittee press release on today's hearing. AP has more. A Department of Homeland Security factsheet on CAPPS II is here. Civil liberties groups have expressed concern that the undisclosed and unreviewable information at the heart of the proposed system poses "severe threats to personal privacy and basic civil liberties" - see, for instance, this ACLU press release. The ACLU offers further background information on the CAPPS II initiative, including a recent critical GAO report, here.