Private Lenders Turn Away People on The Terrorist Watch List
Watch lists have serious downsides that need to be addressed if we're going to use them
Now the terrorist watch list is making it to our everyday lives.
Private businesses such as rental and mortgage companies and car dealers are checking the names of customers against a list of suspected terrorists and drug traffickers made publicly available by the Treasury Department, sometimes denying services to ordinary people whose names are similar to those on the list.
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Yet anyone who does business with a person or group on the list risks penalties of up to $10 million and 10 to 30 years in prison, a powerful incentive for businesses to comply.
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"It prohibits anyone from doing business with anyone who's on the list. It does not have a minimum dollar amount. . . . The local deli, if it sells a sandwich to someone whose name appears on the list, has violated the law."
This might be a good thing if it actually worked. Judging on how the no-fly list works, I'm guessing it doesn't.
So what happens when the terrorists start using names like:
- John Smith
- Mike Brown
- Chris Anderson
- Mary Jones
- Beth Miller
