This is exhausting. Early this month, news broke that the U.S. government is using yet another creepy system to infringe on our civil liberties: We’re being tracked.If you’ve left the country since 9/11 (be it by bus, boat or Boeing), your trip was recorded in the government’s Automated Targeting System (ATS)—a program that scores how likely you are to be a terrorist.According to Michael J. Sniffen’s article with the AP, “The scores are based on ATS’ analysis of their travel records and other data, including items such as where [travelers] are from, how they paid for tickets, their motor vehicle records, past one-way travel, seating preference and what kind of meal they ordered.”That’s right: “what kind of meal they ordered.” I wonder if requesting a kosher dinner makes me more or less likely to blow up a plane.By the way, the data collected on you is kept on file for 40 years.Happy holidays.
Hip-Hip Hurray For The U.s. Of A.
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