For more information, please contact:
Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, (312) 906-5251
ADVISORY TO PRODUCERS, COLUMNISTS AND ASSIGNMENT, LEGAL, PLANNING, BUSINESS, AND DAYBOOK EDITORS
CHICAGO--July 5 , 2005--Chicago-Kent College of Law, the Stuart Graduate School
of Business and the Center for Financial Markets have experts available to discuss current issues.
To reach any of our experts, call Gwen Osborne, director
of public affairs, at (312) 906-5251. Copies of press releases and earlier advisories are available
on our Web site: http://www.kentlaw.edu/news/advisory.
Information about millions of passengers who flew on U.S. commercial airlines in June 2004 was collected, bought and sold without the travelers’ knowledge and without congressional permission. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) collected the data for use in its tests of a terrorist screening program called Secure Flight. The program is designed to check all passenger reservations against a watch list maintained by the Terrorist Screening Center and to shift responsibility for screening passengers from the airlines to the TSA. It is estimated that the airlines gave the government personal data on about 12 million passengers without their permission or knowledge. The Office of Homeland Security is investigating whether the TSA violated federal privacy laws by expanding Secure Flight testing beyond the scope of its official statements about how the data would be collected and used. Dean Harold J. Krent is available for interviews.
Travelers and identity theft. ATMs and credit and debit cards have decreased the need for vacationers to carry around large amounts of cash or travelers’ checks. However, the convenience afforded by the technology has increased concern about identity theft. Professor Richard Warner says travelers are often on unfamiliar ground so it is difficult for them to assess the privacy, credit card fraud, and identity theft dangers. He adds there are things travelers can do to protect themselves. “For example, use a credit card with a low limit; deal only with reputable businesses; and minimize the personally identifying information divulged.” Professor Warner is available for interviews about preventing identity theft. He has lectured on Internet security at the second United Nations Economic Commission for Europe workshop in Geneva, Switzerland. At the invitation of the FBI, he has spoken on global cybercrime before the Chicago Crime Commission.
“You have the right to remain silent...” if you are arrested in the United States. But what rights do Americans traveling abroad have? Professor Bartram S. Brown, co-director of Chicago-Kent’s Program in International and Comparative Law, says “Although foreign governments can’t force you to testify, your silence could be taken as evidence you have something to hide.” Professor Brown, an international human rights expert, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Board of Directors of Amnesty International, USA.
Millions of foreign visitors come to the United States each year. Most require B-1/B-2 visitor visas to enter the country legally. What is the process for obtaining visitors’ visas? What changes have been made in the U.S. visa policy and procedures since the terrorist attacks in 2001? Professor Matthew I. Bernstein, who practices and teaches immigration and nationality law, is available for interviews.
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