U.S., Europe still tweaking anti-terror tech

R.A. Hettinga rah at shipwright.com
Wed Nov 24 07:37:08 PST 2004


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MENAFN - Middle East North Africa . Financial Network

U.S., Europe still tweaking anti-terror tech

UPI - UPI - Tuesday, November 23, 2004



Date: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 7:28:15 PM EST By DONNA BORAK

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. and European officials said they may
encounter more problems implementing new anti-terrorism measures, including
the "no-fly" list of passengers banned from U.S. airlines and biometric
passports, but are working together on the issue.

The viability of such anti-terror technology is important to the U.S.
travel industry, which was dealt a severe blow after the terrorist attacks
of Sept. 11, 2001. In fact, the Travel Industry Association of America said
Monday that as part of the fiscal year 2005 omnibus spending package
Congress had included $10 million to promote the United States as an
international travel destination.

Last Saturday an international flight from Paris to California was diverted
to Bangor, Maine because a Moroccan passenger was discovered to be on the
U.S. "no-fly" list after the plane had taken off.

 Senior Department of Homeland Security officials warned on Monday that
problems with the "no-fly" list would likely continue even when their new
computerized screening system was put in place next year.

 "Obviously, you want the system to work perfectly. I don't know that when
you have systems built upon human information and human responses that you
are ever going to have a perfect system," said Asa Hutchinson, DHS
undersecretary for border and transportation security. Hutchinson faulted
the current advance passenger information system, human error and
ineffective technology for the security failure.

"We have to build a better system design that will greatly reduce and
minimize these types of incidents from happening ... You also have to build
a system that is capable of responding, (has) good checks and balances, and
has layered defenses that is not reliant on one particular system,"
Hutchinson said at a joint press conference with John Faull, the European
Union's director general for Justice and Home Affairs.

Expected changes include a revamp of the current advance passenger
information system. Currently, airlines are not capable of matching
passengers with terrorist-watch lists until 15 minutes after takeoff. The
obvious goal is to prevent suspect individuals from boarding at all.

In addition to faster matching against terrorist-watch lists, the new
system would integrate U.S. and European anti-terror efforts.

 Hutchinson suggested that the new biometric passport and multilateral
efforts among nations would be the solution to alleviating further security
failures.

Biometric devices were among the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Passports
of people entering the United States would be required to contain a special
type of computer chip, known as RFID or radio-frequency identification. The
chip would contain a digitized facial image of the bearer. Current rules
would require them by October 2005.

Such biometric passports and visas will help government officials
authenticate documents and potentially identify terrorists, officials said.

 Hutchinson explained that the United States would be aggressively working
with its European allies to meet the deadline, but the emphasis on testing
would be first priority, before any passports were issued.

 "Obviously, that has to be completed before production is implemented,"
said Hutchinson. Last month, the DHS was granted a yearlong extension till
the October 2005 deadline. It initially requested two years.

"We are working very hard to meet the deadline," said Hutchinson.

 The European Union agreed in October to use biometric passports. EU
Director Faull said that the decision to utilize biometric passports was
not the result of pressure by the United States, but a common-sense
decision in the face of a common threat.

"These are problems that cannot be solved unilaterally," said Hutchinson.

 It is expected that the United States will demand visas from 27 countries
if they do not have biometric passports by October 2005. According to
Faull, production has already started on biometric passports and it is
expected that the first will be ready in 18 months. Faull explained that
there were a number of challenges facing the two parties, but that both
were working together to resolve any issues.

At the press conference, Hutchinson characterized talks with European Union
officials as "frank and open."

 "In our discussions it is clear to me, that the European Union has
accelerated their counter-terrorism efforts and we are grateful for that,"
he said, adding that the United States and the EU share "common concerns"
about terrorism.

- -- 
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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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