Privacy Concerns Regarding the Use of Biometrics in Trusted Traveler Programs

One of the objectives of the U.S. government is to balance the individual’s right to privacy and national security interests. Trusted Traveler programs create a risk-based security model where the traveling public is categorized into low or high risk. There are, however, some privacy concerns related to the acceptance of the use of biometric technology in the adoption of expedited security screening procedures in commercial airports. The theoretical construct of this case study of the TSA Pre-Check Program is based on Ajzen and Fischbein’s theory of reasoned action, specifically through Davis’ technology acceptance model. The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions of the traveling public regarding the protection of privacy and the use of biometric technologies. Data for this study included 325 social media postings, 50 privacy complaints reported to the Department of Homeland Security between 2009 and 2014, and publicly available data from the Government Accountability Office about expedited screening for the years 2011 – 2014. Data were coded into a priori themes and then subjected to a content analysis procedure. Findings indicate that the traveling public generally support expedited security screening and consent to waiving certain privacy rights in order to facilitate expedited screening. Complaints from travelers were also primarily related to wait times and secondary screening, and not privacy concerns. The positive social change implications stemming from this study include recommendations to the TSA to expand the Trusted Traveler programs such that the primary concern of the traveling public, reduction of wait time is balanced against privacy concerns about the collection of biometric data as part of a measured response to aviation security

Quantum surveillance and 'shared secrets'. A biometric step too far? CEPS Liberty and Security in Europe, July 2010

It is no longer sensible to regard biometrics as having neutral socio-economic, legal and political impacts. Newer generation biometrics are fluid and include behavioural and emotional data that can be combined with other data. Therefore, a range of issues needs to be reviewed in light of the increasing privatisation of ‘security’ that escapes effective, democratic parliamentary and regulatory control and oversight at national, international and EU levels, argues Juliet Lodge, Professor and co-Director of the Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence at the University of Leeds, U

Assessing the airport facilities in the context of UAM operations

UAM mobility is deemed as a paradigm shift in passenger transport mode for intra- and inter-urban transport. This concept is supported by the appearance of new types of aircraft with the capability of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and the use of electric propulsion and energy storage. Current VTOL vehicle prototypes vary substantially in configuration and design, resulting in different UAM missions and concepts of operations. Although still in the so-called innovation trigger phase, growing interest from large investors and existing (NASA) and emerging (Lilium) companies implies the expectation of some of these VTOL aircraft to end up being pilotless, autonomous aircraft designed for between one and five passengers on board. While most of the UAM passenger-related service will require dedicated VTOL ground infrastructure for takeoff and landing (often referred as vertiports), some of the operational concepts contemplate integrating these vehicles into existing airports. This refers particularly to the UAM mission which aims to connect the city center (or suburb) with the airport. However, this process is not straightforward, as it requires a thorough evaluation of different operational and safety aspects to allow the smooth operation of these new vehicles given their distinctive characteristics. Furthermore, to accommodate these types of vehicles and provide a satisfactory level of service to all stakeholders (i.e., airlines), airports will need to acquire adequate facilities and learn to manage these new operations alongside conventional aviation. This project aims to investigate the need for new airport facilities in the light of potential integration of VTOL vehicles. With their new autonomy features, some of the airside facilities need to be radically upgraded to allow safe integration into the current airport system. To do this, this analysis is divided into two parts. The first part is oriented to the description and analysis of the different models and configurations of VTOL aircraft that can be found nowadays together with the nature of the missions that can be carried out. The second part of the study introduces a background and an initial approach to the integration of UAM services in the airport environment to finish by analysing two hypothetical application scenarios to reality with their corresponding identification of the new and existing facilities necessary to accommodate these new operations concepts.Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i InfraestructuraObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenible

Usability in Public Services and Border Control: New Technologies and Challenges for People with Disability

As new security technologies are introduced in public services, such as border control and mass transportation systems, their accessibility for the disabled needs to be evaluated. A large part of the population is directly or indirectly concerned with disability of permanent or temporary nature. This report starts with a brief overview of the scale of disability and associated challenges and puts them in the context of the public policy on disability. In particular it highlights two existing policies: the EU Transport Regulation on the Disabled Air Passengers and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, both of which are of relevance to mass transportation. The report then analyses the usability challenges in public services and border control, including the issues of accessibility, safety and communication. These need to be addressed in future policy proposals. Technical support to the present and future policies related to disability complying public services is seen as a potentially important role for JRC. This is illustrated through a review of relevant JRC projects: VOICE, SESAMONET and Secure Airport. New technologies in public services can be viewed by the disabled from two perspectives: assistive technologies and neutral technologies. The assistive communication technologies were adopted in projects VOICE and SESAMONET to improve accessibility in public services. On the other hand, the use of biometric identification in airports and border control is to enhance security for all and therefore it is assumed to be neutral, with respect to disability. This assumption was investigated in the Secure Airport project.JRC.G.6-Security technology assessmen

Public Acceptance of AI Technology in Self-Flying Aircraft

The research article includes a literature dissection on the topics of public acceptance of automated vehicles, including self-driving cars and unmanned aerial vehicles. Information reviewed will be applied to the potential future application of self-flying aircraft. The use of the Technology Acceptance Model is reviewed for application of public acceptance studies. Contributing factors commonly observed include perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived risk and environmental benefits. Additionally, trust in automated technology for decision-making is reviewed. Research is based on existing studies of public acceptance in similar technologies and is applied to the likely public acceptance of self-flying aircraft

Envisioning technology through discourse: a case study of biometrics in the National Identity Scheme in the United Kingdom

Around the globe, governments are pursuing policies that depend on information technology (IT). The United Kingdom’s National Identity Scheme was a government proposal for a national identity system, based on biometrics. These proposals for biometrics provide us with an opportunity to explore the diverse and shifting discourses that accompany the attempted diffusion of a controversial IT innovation. This thesis offers a longitudinal case study of these visionary discourses. I begin with a critical review of the literature on biometrics, drawing attention to the lack of in-depth studies that explore the discursive and organizational dynamics accompanying their implementation on a national scale. I then devise a theoretical framework to study these speculative and future-directed discourses based on concepts and ideas from organizing visions theory, the sociology of expectations, and critical approaches to studying the public’s understanding of technology. A methodological discussion ensues in which I explain my research approach and methods for data collection and analysis, including techniques for critical discourse analysis. After briefly introducing the case study, I proceed to the two-part analysis. First is an analysis of government actors’ discourses on biometrics, revolving around formal policy communications; second is an analysis of media discourses and parliamentary debates around certain critical moments for biometrics in the Scheme. The analysis reveals how the uncertain concept of biometrics provided a strategic rhetorical device whereby government spokespeople were able to offer a flexible yet incomplete vision for the technology. I contend that, despite being distinctive and offering some practical value to the proposals for national identity cards, the government’s discourses on biometrics remained insufficiently intelligible, uninformative, and implausible. The concluding discussion explains the unraveling visions for biometrics in the case, offers a theoretical contribution based on the case analysis, and provides insights about discourses on the ‘publics’ of new technology such as biometrics

A Systemic Approach to Next Generation Infrastructure Data Elicitation and Planning Using Serious Gaming Methods

Infrastructure systems are vital to the functioning of our society and economy. However, these systems are increasingly complex and are more interdependent than ever, making them difficult to manage. In order to respond to increasing demand, environmental concerns, and natural and man-made threats, infrastructure systems have to adapt and transform. Traditional engineering design approaches and planning tools have proven to be inadequate when planning and managing these complex socio-technical system transitions. The design and implementation of next generation infrastructure systems require holistic methodologies, encompassing organizational and societal aspects in addition to technical factors. In order to do so, a serious gaming based risk assessment methodology is developed to assist infrastructure data elicitation and planning. The methodology combines the use of various models, commercial-off-the-shelf solutions and a gaming approach to aggregate the inputs of various subject matter experts (SMEs) to predict future system characteristics. The serious gaming based approach enables experts to obtain a thorough understanding of the complexity and interdependency of the system while offering a platform to experiment with various strategies and scenarios. In order to demonstrate its abilities, the methodology was applied to National Airspace System (NAS) overhaul and its transformation to Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The implemented methodology yielded a comprehensive safety assessment and data generation mechanism, embracing the social and technical aspects of the NAS transformation for the next 15 years

Surveillance, Privacy and Security

This volume examines the relationship between privacy, surveillance and security, and the alleged privacy–security trade-off, focusing on the citizen’s perspective. Recent revelations of mass surveillance programmes clearly demonstrate the ever-increasing capabilities of surveillance technologies. The lack of serious reactions to these activities shows that the political will to implement them appears to be an unbroken trend. The resulting move into a surveillance society is, however, contested for many reasons. Are the resulting infringements of privacy and other human rights compatible with democratic societies? Is security necessarily depending on surveillance? Are there alternative ways to frame security? Is it possible to gain in security by giving up civil liberties, or is it even necessary to do so, and do citizens adopt this trade-off? This volume contributes to a better and deeper understanding of the relation between privacy, surveillance and security, comprising in-depth investigations and studies of the common narrative that more security can only come at the expense of sacrifice of privacy. The book combines theoretical research with a wide range of empirical studies focusing on the citizen’s perspective. It presents empirical research exploring factors and criteria relevant for the assessment of surveillance technologies. The book also deals with the governance of surveillance technologies. New approaches and instruments for the regulation of security technologies and measures are presented, and recommendations for security policies in line with ethics and fundamental rights are discussed. This book will be of much interest to students of surveillance studies, critical security studies, intelligence studies, EU politics and IR in general. A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via www.tandfebooks.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 3.0 license.

Pilot’s Willingness to Operate in Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Airspace

The interest in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) use for private, civil, and commercial purposes such as package delivery, inspection, surveillance, and passenger and cargo transport has gained considerable momentum. As UAS infiltrate the National Airspace System (NAS), there is a need to not only develop viable, safe, and secure solutions for the co-existence of manned and unmanned aircraft, but also determine public acceptance and pilot’s willingness to operate an aircraft in such an integrated environment. Currently there is little or no research on pilot’s perceptions on their willingness to operate an aircraft in UAS integrated airspace and airports. The purpose of this study was to determine what effect the type of UAS integration, the type of UAS operations, and the airspace classification will have on pilot’s perspectives and willingness to operate an aircraft in UAS integrated airspace and airport environment. This study surveyed the eligible pilot population in hypothetical scenarios using convenience sampling to measure their willingness to operate an aircraft in UAS integrated airspace and airports using the Willingness to Pilot an Aircraft Scale, which has been shown to be valid and reliable by Rice, Winter, Capps, Trombley, Robbins, and Milner (2020). A mixed factorial design was used to study the interaction effects between the independent variables and the effects on the dependent variable, i.e., willingness to pilot an aircraft. The results of the mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated a significant interaction between type of UAS integration and airspace classification. Overall willingness decreased with airspace and differences in willingness to pilot an aircraft were based on segregated and integrated operations. The average pilot’s willingness to pilot an aircraft score differed from the highest score being for Class B, decreasing with decreasing airspace classes, with the lowest being for Class G. Analysis of pilot perspectives collected through open ended questions using text-mining techniques showed agreement with mixed ANOVA analysis that the primary factor in the pilot’s perception was airspace. Key concerns voiced by the pilots were situation awareness, risk and safety of operations, aircraft certification and airworthiness, and operator experience and regulatory conformance. The most positive sentiment was observed among pilots presented with the hypothetical scenario of fully autonomous UAS operations in a segregated environment. Findings from the study could aid regulators in developing better policies, procedures, integration solutions, improved training, and knowledge sharing