Aviation Security
GSN looks at efforts by the Transportation Security Administration, better known as TSA, to enhance airport security with the help of metal detectors, security cameras and various biometrics, while paying close attention to the privacy issues that surround each governmental step to improve security.
TSA seeks vendor support on its employee mediation program
October 5th, 2008
TSA wants to hear from small businesses which can help the agency’s Office of Civil Rights and Liberties administer a mediation program aimed at resolving employee complaints of discrimination. TSA calls this mediation effort its “Alternative Resolutions to Conflict,” or ARC, program. “ARC allows individuals to present and discuss workplace issues, which often times led to resolution of the EEO complaint, thereby avoiding the lengthy and costly litigation process,” said a Request For Information (RFI) issued by TSA on Oct. 2.
Estonia takes large step towards admission to U.S. Visa Waiver Program
October 2nd, 2008
The U.S. Government and Estonia have signed an agreement to share fingerprint records and criminal history information, as a big step toward Estonia being admitted to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, under which Estonian citizens could travel to the U.S. without obtaining a visa.
TSA won’t vouch for aviation security at Venezuela’s international airports
September 15th, 2008
Tensions between Venezuela, led by President Hugo Chavez, and the U.S. have increased in recent days, with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration announcing on Sept. 12 that it can no longer vouch for the aviation security measures being taken -- or not being taken -- at Venezuela’s international airports.
TSA to assess different air cargo screening technologies
August 18th, 2008
In an effort to identify mature explosives detection technologies that can be used effectively to screen cargo being loaded onto passenger aircraft, TSA is planning a 5-year program to test in laboratories and the field different categories of detection equipment.
Four different approaches to thwarting a terrorist attack
August 18th, 2008
Because a terrorist attack in the U.S. using explosives could come from a variety of directions -- and take a variety of shapes and sizes – the U.S. Government is moving forward in a variety of ways to thwart such attacks.
Different technical concepts and different business models are being pursued by different agencies to address these dire scenarios.
Capitol Hill: National Bio-surveillance Center: Fully operational or not?
July 28th, 2008
Will the Department of Homeland Security meet the congressionally mandated Sept. 30, 2008 deadline to have the National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NBIC), the centerpiece of U.S. government efforts to provide early detection and warning of biological threats, up and running and "fully operational"?
Based on July 16 testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, Science and Technology Subcommittee, the answer clearly depends on the meaning of the phrase "fully operational."
More on bio-surveillance
Letter to the Editor: Clear’s Steve Brill on paying for Registered Traveler memberships
July 21st, 2008
Here’s an e-mail message from Steven Brill, CEO of Verified Identity Pass, Inc., about the lead article in today’s Homeland Security Insider regarding GSA’s decision to not allow federal government employees to seek reimbursement for their Registered Traveler membership fees.
Uncle Sam won’t reimburse government employees for Registered Traveler fees
July 21st, 2008
The General Services Administration has handed a setback to the companies running "Trusted Traveler" programs at U.S. airports by declaring that federal government employees are not allowed to seek reimbursements for their individual membership fees, about $100 per year, paid to these companies.
