Big aviation security proposals not sure thing
115495
Airlines and airports remain prime targets for extremists nearly 6 years after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, but the U.S. government has yet to determine whether sweeping security proposals could ever be put into practice.
460020
An alleged plot to blow up New York's main airport has sparked fears about militant Islam in the Caribbean but experts say the region's main security risks remain drug gangs and smuggling rackets.
347521
Asia-Pacific officials are today considering how to increase security at nuclear facilities in what the top UN nuclear watchdog has called a race to prevent terrorists from getting weapons material.
595576
Several new or evolving plans recognize that the usual airline loyalty programs may not be enough for the extreme air traveler.
453252
The Transportation Security Administration is trying again to reconcile the privacy rights of non-dangerous airline passengers with the security need to identify potentially dangerous ones.
442014
The electronics of Boeing&#39;s new 787 Dreamliner jet could be vulnerable to hackers due to the way critical flight systems are linked with those used by passengers, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has warned.The 787 &quot;allows new kinds of passenger connectivity to previously isolated data networks connected to systems that perform functions required for the safe operation of the airplane,&quot; the FAA said in the warning, which has been posted on Cryptome.org .The design of those electronic systems &quot;may result in security vulnerabilities from intentional or unintentional corruption of data and systems critical to the safety and maintenance of the airplane.&quot;The document doesn&#39;t have a response from Boeing, but a company spokeswoman told Wired magazine it was aware of the problem and had been working on it for several years with the FAA.The FAA document includes comments on the issue from the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and competitor Airbus.ALPA said Boeing should find a way to allow the flight crew to disable the passengers&#39; ability to connect to the systems. In response, the FAA said it preferred not to dictate specific design features but let Boeing determine the appropriate security protections.Airbus, whose comments support Boeing, said that physically separating the passenger and critical networks -- one sure-fire method of stopping tampering -- means that passengers may not then have access to satellite and other network connections. The company argued that a minimum amount of communication between the networks is necessary.The FAA responded that airlines could then use technology &quot;which allows sharing of resources without allowing unauthorized access and inappropriate actions to systems and data.&quot;Boeing has sold more than more than 740 Dreamliners so far. The midsize plane is scheduled for a test flight early this year, with a full rollout of the planes later this year, according to Boeing&#39;s Web site.
43512
Concerns arise that the massive bomb-resistant vehicles may not be practical outside Iraq.
545763
Geneva, Dec 16 (UNI) Three years and three months after September 11 terror attacks in the United States, aviation security worldwide remains a confusing mess.
267151
Weeks after passing legislation to tighten inspections of cargo on passenger planes, top Democrats in Congress say they are growing concerned about a proposal that would allow shipping companies to play a large role in the screening process.
742043
Europe&#39;s top data protection official, European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx, criticized plans to create a European equivalent of the PNR (passenger name records) gathered by U.S. authorities, questioning the plan&#39;s necessity and proportionality.&quot;The fight against terrorism can be a legitimate ground to apply exceptions to the fundamental rights to privacy and data protection, but only within certain limits,&quot; Hustinx said in a statement on Thursday.&quot;The necessity of intended measures must be supported by clear and undeniable elements, and their proportionality must be demonstrated. These two aspects are essential conditions and they are clearly not fulfilled in this case,&quot; he said.The U.S. introduced PNR gathering in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. After some initial resistance, the European Union agreed to allow airlines to hand over to American authorities details about passengers flying from the E.U. to the U.S., before a flights&#39; departure.Since then, Madrid and London have been attacked by suicide bombers, stiffening the resolve of European politicians to tighten security further.Last month the European Commission proposed a raft of pan-E.U. antiterrorism measures, including a PNR gathering system for all flights into the E.U. Under the proposed plan, air carriers would be obliged to hand over 19 pieces of passenger information, including the name, address, passport number, credit-card number, and history of changes in any flight schedule. The data would be retained for up to 13 years and be shared between authorities in all E.U. member states.This is very similar to the shape of the PNR agreement reached with the U.S. in June. Airlines have to hand over 19 details about passengers on flights to the U.S., and the U.S. authorities can keep the information for up to 15 years.Hustinx said the E.U. PNR plan would have &quot;a major impact on privacy and data protection rights of air passengers.&quot;He also criticized the agreement for its lack of clarity. In particular, he pointed out that the Commission&#39;s proposal doesn&#39;t say what the applicable legal framework for the plan would be, doesn&#39;t specify which authorities should have access to the data and fails to give rules on transferring passenger data outside of the E.U.Hustinx urged E.U. lawmakers to delay the PNR plan until after the recently agreed Lisbon Treaty comes into force, which is expected within the next year once each member state ratifies it in its national parliament.The treaty would force the Council of national governments to reach agreement with the European Parliament on the PNR plan. Currently the Council can decide on the matter by itselfMany parliamentarians are bitterly opposed to the E.U./U.S. PNR agreement and to the E.U. PNR plan.The European Commission wasn&#39;t immediately available to comment on Hustinx&#39;s comments.
649493
Congress voted last year to prohibit passengers from bringing lighters and matches aboard commercial airplanes for security reasons, but figuring out how to institute the change has become more complicated.
35441
Irish air freight forwarders are looking for creative ways to sidestep the advance manifest system (AMS) introduced to beef up security at US airports.
234399
Plans to lift the one piece hand luggage limit for airline passengers is expected to lead to mass confusion, airport officials say.
484337
As airport security tightens, checkpoint lines grow and tempers fray amid fears of devastating airborne attacks, more and more Britons are calling for the use of profiling to decide which travelers should be singled out as possible threats.
36901
An airport security company is offering $500,000 to anyone who can figure out how to speed up security lines. Can you build a better screening system?
51381
Two-way filtering is touted as a new security feature, but Preston Gralla discovers it's impossible to practically configure effective outbound filtering.
255022
D., and Alane Kochems. The Department of Homeland security has announced a new program, âSecure Flight,â designed to screen flight passenger data and flag possible terrorists before they board an airplane.