Originally Posted by michaelchertoff
(Sigh) The whole point of CAPPS was that if an identity didn't match up with an "activity" history.. things like tax records, etc., it would be flagged for further scrutiny. The "Fredrick Forsyth" scenario you mention above is well known and taken into account by these systems. Though they are imperfect, they wouldn't be bad.
Some of this, at least as regards using public records, is dead for now. And security is the worse for it.
Any idiot terrorists can get his name in some commercial databases to "corroborate" his "non-threat" status as far as CAPPS is concerned. Sign up for some magazine subscriptions, join the airline's frequent flyer program, get a credit card - now you're "clear." And if the "big day" comes and you're not "clear," you know in advance so you can make the necessary adjustments.
Some of the 9/11 hijackers were selected by CAPPS, but so what? What did that do, and what would it do for us in the future?
Nobody should be getting onboard with weapons. We should be working on the fact that the TSA is no better at catching contraband than the private screeners, not scrutinizing over people who don't have a high enough credit score, diverting resources away from the primary job of looking for weapons.