Watch-list errors

The Transportation Security Administration intends to fine airlines for mistakenly identifying passengers as suspected terrorists.

Reacting to numerous complaints from people who have been misidentified, the TSA says airlines could face $25,000 fines for wrongly telling someone they are on a government watch list. The errors often result from similarly spelled names. Passengers so identified have to prove they are not the suspected terrorist whose name is on the list.

Even well-known elected officials have encountered problems with the lists. Often similar spellings or nicknames can lead to mistaken identification.

The TSA wants the airlines to maintain records of those who have been mistakenly identified so the error is not repeated, while airlines say they have spent millions of dollars to improve their systems.

Appearing at a House hearing last month, TSA Administrator Kip Hawley said the mistakes undercut the credibility of the system. But the airlines are just part of the problem as the government watch lists continue to grow.

The American Civil Liberties Union put the number of people on the lists at 1 million. The FBI said it was closer to 400,000 individuals. The lists are not available to the public, so there is no way of knowing who is on it or why a name may appear. Some people, after repeated detentions, have sued the government to have their name removed.

With the TSA going after airlines, the government also has to do its part to protect innocent travelers.