The Man Who Helped Kill CAPPS II

Wired has a nice piece on the efforts of an online activist, which might have helped put a cap on CAPPS II - Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening System II. CAPPS II is a 'program to comb through airline passengers' private records for terrorist connections'.

Established civil liberties groups were already on CAPPS II's case. Scannell had no organization, and few, if any, connections in Washington. So he did what he could, by putting up a website, BoycottDelta.org, calling on travelers to avoid the carrier for its role in the screening effort. It would be the first of many sites he'd devote to bringing CAPPS II to a halt.

It seemed like the steepest of battles back then, in February 2003. On the cusp of the Iraq war, Bush's popularity was in the stratosphere. Challenging the White House's antiterror regime was an unpopular proposition, at best.

But now, in an unlikely turn of events, the Bush administration appears to have backed down. On Wednesday, according to USA Today, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced that yes, a stake had been driven through the heart of CAPPS II.

A decent read.