Thread: Globalization is being used to make an end run around civil liberties. apps.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/gr… via @BostonGlobe
2/The facts around 'Quiet Skies' are still emerging but a key point is that international travel histories are being used to track US passengers domestically.
3/The international dimension is critical. After 9/11, the US government tried to do something similar under the 'CAPPS II' program. Civil liberties groups effectively mobilized to block this. gao.gov/products/GAO-0…
4/CAPPS II and Quiet Skies raise so many red flags because they engage in profiling US citizens, who have not committed a crime. Everyday activities (e.g. going to the bathroom) put you at risk of being targeted by the state.
5/As @henryfarrell and I have argued elsewhere, now with globalization governments can look abroad for surveillance data that is prohibited at home. doi.org/10.1177/001041…
6/In the case of CAPPS II, the US turned to the Europeans to get their data. tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
7/Now it looks like this foreign data is being turned to personally follow individuals. msn.com/en-ie/news/vid…
8/This is going to be a public relations disaster for the government/airlines. Cue air marshal association: "Currently the Quiet Skies program does not meet the criteria we find acceptable."
9/Whether Quiet Skies lives or dies, Americans need to be increasingly vigilant. The US government repeatedly turns to foreign sources and data to circumvent domestic civil liberties protections.
10/NGOs like the @ACLU will increasingly need to turn to global campaigns if they hope to block these types of surveillance. Quiet Skies works because the US gets data from foreign partners to start the ball rolling.
