Latest news with #QuietSkies'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Spying on Americans…': Kristi Noem pulls plug on TSA spy program that targeted 'political enemies'
TSA's secretive 'Quiet Skies' program, meant to monitor airline passengers for signs of suspicious behavior, has officially been shut down. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination, calling the program ineffective, costly, and politically weaponised. Noem said the initiative failed to stop a single terror attack and was used to target political opponents under the guise of national security. Show more Show less
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
US ending ‘Quiet Skies' airline passenger watch list screening programme
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is ending the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) 'Quiet Skies' aviation security watch list programme that designated some passengers deemed higher risks for enhanced screening. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the programme costs US$200 million (S$257 million) annually and 'was used to target political opponents and benefit political allies.' TSA, which screens more than 900 million airline passengers yearly, will continue performing vetting functions tied to commercial aviation security, she said. Some Republicans have raised concerns that the TSA briefly placed former lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard on the Quiet Skies list. Mr Trump named Ms Gabbard to serve as director of National Intelligence. Representative Bennie Thompson, top Democrat on the panel, denied the programme was political and criticised the move to end the programme, saying 'this shameful attempt to dismantle a national security agency that protects us from terror attacks will only make us less safe'. He added that Ms Gabbard's listing 'was automatic and well deserved.' 'This process has worked the same under administrations of both parties, including the first Trump administration.' House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green praised the decision to end the programme. 'While the Quiet Skies program was intended to mitigate threats posed to US aviation security, we know now that it ended up functioning solely as a political watch list,' Mr Green said. People on the list are subject to enhanced screening, typically including a patdown, an explosives trace detection and physical search of a passenger's property, electronics, and shoes. A 2020 inspector general report criticised the programme, saying the TSA did not 'develop outcome-based performance goals and measures to demonstrate program effectiveness' and had software algorithm and system malfunctions 'that resulted in passengers not being removed from the Quiet Skies List'. The American Civil Liberties Union in 2018 said the programme amounted to 'covert surveillance of innocent fliers' and said the TSA was 'using secret criteria that include travel patterns and specific behaviors to determine which travelers to target'. The US government sought to improve screening of potential threats following the 2009 attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to set off an explosive hidden in his underwear while aboard a US airliner near Detroit. In 2012, TSA began using risk-based factors to identify potentially higher-risk passengers and designate them for the Quiet Skies programme. In 2018, the Federal Air Marshal Service began prioritising the deployment of air marshals on flights with Quiet Skies members. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Epoch Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
TSA Will End ‘Quiet Skies' Program That Identifies Travelers for Extra Screening: Noem
WASHINGTON—Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on June 5 that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would abolish a program that targets some travelers for additional screening when boarding certain flights that depart from the United States. The 'Quiet Skies' program was established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a way of ensuring higher-risk passengers, who may pose security risks, are more thoroughly searched before they board commercial aircraft.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DHS halts ‘Quiet Skies' program following Republican claims it was used against political opponents
A program designed to flag travelers for potential extra screening and monitoring at airports and on airplanes will be discontinued, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday. The program recently came under attack from Republicans after it was revealed that prior to her appointment to lead the US Intelligence Community, Tulsi Gabbard was temporarily placed on the 'Quiet Skies' list – a process that can occur because of a number of different factors, including travel patterns. Being on the list does not mean an individual is suspected or accused of wrongdoing. Quiet Skies has long been the source of negative publicity for TSA, according to a former US official. But officials have seen it as valuable because it allows the agency to order extra security checks for certain people based on specific intelligence. 'It is clear that the Quiet Skies program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration — weaponized against its political foes and exploited to benefit their well-heeled friends,' Noem said in her statement announcing the program's end. 'I am calling for a Congressional investigation to unearth further corruption at the expense of the American people and the undermining of US national security.' As CNN previously reported, Gabbard was quickly removed from the list after going public last year with claims she had been added to a 'secret terror watchlist' – saying she was placed on the list for criticizing then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris. US officials told CNN that to have a nominee for a top position — much less the director of national intelligence — placed on a government watchlist of any kind was highly unusual, if not unprecedented. It remains unclear why Gabbard was placed on the list and subsequently removed. The Quiet Skies algorithm looks at travel patterns, foreign connections and other data in a variety of government holdings, and if triggered, leads to additional security screening at the airport by Air Marshals. But it is not associated with the FBI's terrorist watch list. Security officials from multiple agencies previously told CNN that the program is known inside the government for having far laxer standards for inclusion. The program was only one part of airport security and other screening lists still exist inside of the department. In a press release Thursday, DHS said the program 'was used to target political opponents and benefit political allies.' 'TSA will continue performing important vetting functions tied to legitimate commercial aviation security threats to both ensure the safety of the American traveler and uphold its statutory obligations,' the department said. CNN's Evan Perez contributed to this report.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gabbard slams 'politically motivated' surveillance as effort to 'intimidate' her following criticism of Harris
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said her placement on the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) "Quiet Skies" watchlist was "politically motivated" after revelations about her surveillance under the Biden administration came to light during a Senate hearing. Gabbard told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Tuesday that she believes she was placed on the list after a July 22 interview with "The Ingraham Angle" where she criticized then-Vice President Kamala Harris' leadership capabilities. Gabbard's remarks came soon after former President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee. 'Lies And Smears': Tulsi Gabbard Rails Against Dem Narrative She's Trump's And Putin's 'Puppet' "I think they were trying to intimidate me, but also, they were trying to really create this chilling effect, probably knowing that I wouldn't stay silent about it and send a message out to people that if you go and criticize then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now going to be the Democratic nominee for president, you too, would face the consequences," the former Democratic congresswoman explained. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing that he received a set of records from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding Gabbard's placement on "Quiet Skies" that confirmed federal air marshals surveilled her on domestic flights in 2024. Read On The Fox News App Paul noted that the air marshals reported back information related to the intelligence chief's appearance and how many electronics she was observed using. The TSA's "Quiet Skies" program was established in 2010 to identify passengers for enhanced screening on some domestic and outbound international flights. Top Tsa Official Explains What To Do If You Don't Have Real Id DHS said in an April 2019 report that individuals are flagged for enhanced screening based on aggregated travel data, intelligence, a trend analysis of the intelligence and suspicious activity. The program has come under scrutiny over a lack of transparency and concerns about civil liberties violations. CNN reported in November that Gabbard was briefly placed on the list before quickly being removed. TSA told the outlet that the program is not a terrorist watchlist. "TSA's Quiet Skies program is a risk-based, automated approach to transportation security, to include identifying potential risks and applying enhanced security measures," the federal agency noted. "It leverages USG intelligence information and databases to apply screening measures." TSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital about the program and when Gabbard was added to the list. Ingraham asked the Army Reserve veteran whether the program should still exist, to which Gabbard responded, "No." "This 'Quiet Skies' program that the TSA, under the Department of Homeland Security, has tasked to federal air marshals to execute — not a single terrorist has been caught. Not a single one, for as long as this program has existed," she said. "So, instead, what is continuing to happen, so long as this program continues, is, every single day, 40 or 50 federal air marshals are tasked with surveilling everyday Americans for no purpose."Original article source: Gabbard slams 'politically motivated' surveillance as effort to 'intimidate' her following criticism of Harris
