Homeland Security Improves Privacy, DHS Chief Blogs

Homeland Security head Michael Chertoff has a blog and today he penned a post about the relationship between privacy and security, arguing that Real ID and the Automated Targeting System prevent privacy intrusions. And the man has a little flair.

"The same terrorist organizations which plot to attack us want to wipe out our liberty, and we don't intend to make their job any easier by doing it ourselves," Chertoff wrote.

So how does Chertoff see programs like Real ID and the Automated Targeting System -- which privacy groups say are invasive and unAmerican -- as protecting privacy?

Our efforts to secure our homeland need not harm our privacy. Rather, in many cases they can actually strengthen it.

A great example is our efforts to create secure identification. By creating secure driver’s licenses and travel documents, we can reduce the egregious privacy violation of identity theft.

Another example is the way we screen the estimated 80 million travelers who fly here annually from other countries. Our strategy is to collect a little information about each visitor--just enough to help us decide who might be a potential security risk. When compared to the alternatives–-searching everyone, searching no one, or the hit-or-miss strategy of random searches--we’ve found that this is the best way to maximize security while at the same time maximizing privacy.

Privacy and security are fundamental rights, and we will continue to defend both in our post-9/11 world.

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Photo: Chertoff Testing Out Podcasting