NEWARK: — Some airline passengers deemed a low-security risk will be randomly selected for quicker, less intrusive screening beginning this year, based on information they provide when reserving a ticket, according to federal rules published this week.

Unlike the existing PreCheck Program in which fliers sign up for expedited screening after volunteering certain information and paying a fee, the new initiative will apply to all passengers.

The new rules, published Tuesday in the Federal Register, were proposed by the Transportation Security Administration and will take effect following a public comment period that ends Oct. 13.

“This process will allow the agency to maintain its high security standards and create greater efficiency while offering more travelers the benefit of expedited screening,” Lisa Farbstein, a spokeswoman, said in a statement.

Farbstein added that, “TSA will always incorporate random and unpredictable security measures throughout the airport. No individual will be guaranteed expedited screening.”

The program is being undertaken by the agency's administrator, John Pistole, in an effort to shift toward a “risk-based” screening rather than what he called the “one-size-fits-all” approach in place since the agency was created after 9/11. The aim is to reduce wait times and minimized inconvenience at checkpoints.

Last month, the agency announced that it would expand the pre-check program to an additional 60 airports after launching it at 40 of the nation’s largest airports, including Newark Liberty, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia Airports.

Like fliers enrolled in the pre-check program, passengers selected randomly for expedited screening could leave on their shoes or belts and keep their laptops in cases when passing through security checkpoints.

Under the program, the agency will cross-check ticketing information, including a passenger’s name, date of birth and residence against such existing records as no-fly lists.

While the TSA says the new program is consistent with the federal Privacy Act of 1974, it has raised questions about the agency’s use of passenger information without their consent despite the intended convenience.

“I hope the expansion of an expedited screening process will reduce waiting times and inconvenience at check points, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement.

But, Thompson added: “It is my current understanding that the expedited screening program will use information originally collected for a different program without the consent of passengers. I will be reviewing TSA’s Privacy Impact Assessment to ensure we have a much clearer picture on whether the benefit of this program is worth the potential privacy costs.”

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