The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is once again under fire after documents revealed its plan to pre-screen low-risk domestic travelers, identifying employment history, car registration, property ownership, tax identification numbers and law enforcement records — all before the traveler shows up for the flight.

The new travel verification plan, parts of which are already in effect, was revealed after the NSA scandal, when the government instituted regulations mandating agencies reveal data collected on U.S. citizens.

The documents turned over by the TSA revealed a plan that went above and beyond the already-instituted travel screening process, which uses a person’s name, gender and birthdate to compare such information with a terrorist watchlist database.

Why enhance surveillance?

The question now is why the TSA is amping up its security on low-risk passengers, particularly when it already has a system in place that effectively monitors for national security risks.

“I think the best way to look at it is as a pre-crime assessment every time you fly,” Edward Hasbrouck, a consultant to the Identity Project, told the New York Times. “The default will be the highest, most intrusive level of search, and anything less will be conditioned on providing some additional information in some fashion.”

The confusion regarding TSA’s new plan is due in part to an announcement made by the agency in September, during which it stated low-risk fliers could expect security wait times to be expedited, noting that those who qualify for the speedier service would not have to provide additional information beyond their name, date of birth and gender.

“To do this, the government and TSA are collecting no new information,” Joseph Salvator, TSA deputy assistant administrator, told the Washington Post in early September. “Everything we’re using to make these risk assessments is information that the passengers currently provide the TSA, which is name, date of birth and gender.”

While selected low-risk fliers would experience a quicker boarding process, low-risk fliers who don’t qualify would be subject to enhanced screening. The plan was expected to roll out in early October.

An anonymous TSA official told the New York Times that the enhanced screening for low-risk passengers was directly related to plans to decrease wait times for those very travelers, calling into question the official statement the TSA gave in September, which clearly indicated the new plans required no new passenger data collection.

TSA: what to believe

The TSA had previously unveiled its PreCheck program, which allows voluntary frequent flyers to fill out a detailed information form. Once the passenger qualifies for the program, they are then allowed to enter the limited-surveillance boarding line.

According to the International Business Times, the PreCheck TSA program, which will be implemented in roughly 100 U.S. airports by 2014, requires passengers who wish to speed through the security process to voluntarily provide additional information prior to check-in.

The TSA advertised its PreCheck screening program as one aimed at frequent flyers. The perks of the program allow participating flyers to leave their shoes and belts on and allows them to keep electronics sealed away in a bag.

The TSA’s announcement for even faster screening processes, released in September, is a different plan altogether.

According to the Washington Post, roughly 450,000 low-risk flyers would be selected each day, seemingly at random, to go through the speedy surveillance line. The TSA touted the program as one that would lead to a quicker boarding times for all flyers.

Those selected under the new program wouldn’t even know they were chosen until they checked in. At that point, they would go into the same line as the PreCheck flyers.

The plan to allow low-risk travelers to be chosen at random to proceed through the minimal screening line is one that was defended by the TSA as a way to modify its surveillance measures to better serve Americans, indicating it was based on basic information compiled from travelers.

“It’s our philosophy that one shoe size doesn’t fit everybody,” Salvator told the Washington Post. “When TSA was stood up after 9/11, we treated everybody the same. We’re trying to move off that model and use a risk-based approach and the intelligence we have developed over the years.”

The evolution of the TSA

The TSA is a relatively young agency within the U.S. government. Created in 2001 under the Bush administration, and following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, its role is to provide effective security at airports throughout the country. It began as an arm of the U.S. Department of Transportation; in 2003, it was moved to Homeland Security.

While it has a stated goal of protecting national security, its policies aren’t always popular.

In April 2012, a Gallup poll indicated that support for the agency sat at around 54 percent. That was surprising for analysts, as the TSA has shown up in a number of controversies, particularly in recent years.

It wasn’t until January that the TSA announced it would back down on its virtual strip scanners, which allowed screeners to get a realistic view of travelers bodies through the scanning devices.

The move happened after years of controversy and complaints, with passengers and privacy advocates claiming the invasive technology constituted a violation of privacy for those boarding flights throughout the U.S.

The news broke after TSA said it wouldn’t renew a contract with Rapiscan, the maker of the scanners. The company didn’t meet its congressional deadline to provide new technology that would protect privacy.

In May, the TSA announced the switch to a less invasive body scanner in U.S. airports was complete. The new technology has Automated Target Recognition, which provides somewhat of a privacy shield for officers viewing the scanned image.

The TSA didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, as congressional action required the switch to take place by June. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act was passed by Congress, mandating the TSA switch out its invasive body scanners from all of U.S. airports.

“I applaud TSA for becoming compliant with the law mandating that all AIT machines used by TSA are equipped with up-to-date privacy filters,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mass.) said in a statement. “Because of this action and congressional oversight, TSA will never again use machines to screen passengers that do not obscure their images while maintaining security.”