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False Positives, Few Matches Plague 'No-Fly' List

Posted by timothy on from the measure-twice-cut-once dept.

lindner writes "According to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, the United States No-Fly List uses a soundex algorithm to match names. Designed 'to quickly summon passenger names or to catch deal-hunting passengers making duplicate bookings.' The system has only managed to rack up a slew of false-positives, including everyone matching soundex ("J. Adams") at one point in time. The problem has gotten so bad that there is now a "Fly List" for chronically misidentified passengers."

3 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. Reinventing the wheel by CodeMaster · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is unbelievable. Why reinvent the wheel, while there are at least 3 countries that have implemented similar restrictions and tracking systems succesfully for more than 10 years now (England, Israel, and Germany - that I know of).

    This sounds like the work of some consultants with no idea of what they are faced with and fresh out of collage where they have analyzed a couple of algorithms... sorry - I have had way too much of these running around the office lately

    If for once someone would just poke his head out and instead of trying to find a solution to an age old problem, look and see how others are handling it, we (taxpayers) would all be much more content (and safe...).

    Just my 2c.

  2. Why not use ID#? by jaclu · · Score: 5, Informative

    I guess all US people would screem for such a "threat to your privacy" ;)

    But at least in here in sweden basically anytime you book a flight you give your ID number (similar to a social security #)
    Two benefits:
    1. Name is just a courtesy, so doesnt really matter for security if somebody get my name wrong.
    2. On checkin, it must be _you_ not somebody with a similar name

    Of course IDs can be stolen or forged, but that is a problem regardles of how you ID your self.

  3. Re:Deal-Hunting is illegal? by PeteJones · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think the deal hunting they are refering to is the practice of buying 2 return tickets and then using the first set to get to your destination and the second to get back. This way you can get the cheap tickets that span weekend stays but instead travel on a, say, Tuesday and come home on Wednesday of the same week.

    Even though you bought two complete return fares, it's still cheaper most of the time that buying one return ticket during a business week. They are trying to fleese the business traveller to subsidize the vacation traveller. I think you probably get both sets of airmiles from buying 2 sets as well