NASA contractors raise concerns about looming security checks on workers

NASA contractors raise concerns about looming security checks on workers

Dennis Byrnes, a veteran engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, fired off a 1,300-word letter to his congressman in April complaining of "unwarranted intrusion" into his life.

Byrnes was disturbed by a new government requirement that workers at JPL and other NASA centres undergo background checks to get access to buildings and computers.

"I have now been at JPL for nearly 30 years, have never been accused of a crime, nor have I committed any," wrote the 64-year-old chief engineer of flight dynamics.

Byrnes is among some three dozen JPL workers who contacted Capitol Hill in recent months protesting the new security checks. Congress is taking notice, with several legislators complaining to U.S. administration officials that the checks could violate people's privacy and drive away talented employees.

Three years after the 2001 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush signed an executive order requiring government agencies to beef up security through a new badge system for millions of civil servants and contractors. The program includes the issuing of "smart cards," ID badges with a photograph and fingerprints digitally embedded.

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