What is your ATS score?(THE LAST WORD)(Automated Targeting System)

If you think that the "big three" credit bureaus, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, know far more about you than you care for, and you worry about your personal privacy, well, hold on to your hat? What is your ATS score?

In case you didn't know (as this writer did not until recently), ATS stands for Automated Targeting System, and it is yet another post-9/11 vehicle for government snooping brought to you by our Homeland Security Department. Your ATS score might be termed your "terrorism rating."

As for who, exactly, is targeted by ATS, the answer is virtually everyone who enters or leaves the United States, whether by plane, ship, car, train, motorcycle, etc. (We presume, however, that illegal aliens sneaking across our borders are an exception.) Upon entering or departing our country, Homeland Security assigns you a score based on an assortment of arbitrary factors: where you are from, how you paid for your tickets, your motor vehicle records, whether you have taken any one-way trips in the past, your seating preference, and even what kind of meal you order?

Homeland Security describes the ATS program as "one of the most advanced targeting systems in the world," steadfastly defends it, and claims that its ability to identify terrorists and drug smugglers "would be critically impaired without access to this data."

In case you are wondering if your ATS score identifies you as a potential Mohammad Atta, keep on wondering, because travelers are not allowed to see or directly challenge their ATS ratings, which the government will keep on file for 40 years. You cannot see your rating, but Homeland Security explained in the Federal Register in November that some or all of the ATS data compiled about an individual may be shared with state, local, and foreign governments for use in hiring decisions and in granting licenses, security clearances, contracts, or other benefits. In some cases, the data may be shared with courts, Congress, and even private contractors.

"Everybody else can see it, but you can't," complained Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration lawyer who teaches at Cornell Law School, in an AP interview.

The Homeland Security's Privacy Office has issued a privacy impact statement attempting ...