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EU Agrees to Share Airline Passenger Data with US

Posted by timothy on from the presumed-guilty dept.

securitas writes "The European Union has agreed to provide the US government with detailed airline passenger data. The agreement allows the collection of 34 pieces of data per person and limits storage of the data to three and a half years. 'The United States originally wanted to collect 60 pieces of data and keep it for 50 years.' Previously, the EU had objected to the plan because it violated EU privacy legislation, the data-protection directive. The plan is similar to the CAPPS II passenger profiling system. The data may be used for 'secondary purposes' other than anti-terrorism measures if requested from US Customs by other law enforcement agencies."

3 of 49 comments (clear)

  1. Source of all that data? by cicho · · Score: 3, Funny

    60 pieces of data sounds like a lot. From the article:

    "European officials had balked at the U.S. request to get access to additional information airlines may collect that could reveal more detailed personal data, such as medical conditions and political affiliation."

    This implies that airlines have that information in the first place. Political affiliation? How can they get such information, and why do they? This is a concern even before they start making it available to anyone.

    I voted for my country to join the EU. I would have reconsidered this vote today.

    --
    "Only the small secrets need to be protected. The big ones are kept secret by public incredulity." - Marshall McLuhan
    1. Re:Source of all that data? by uradu · · Score: 2, Funny

      > 60 pieces of data sounds like a lot

      What really puzzled them was the request for movie watching and shopping habits.

  2. Re:well that's all lovely but... by Alsee · · Score: 2, Funny

    doesn`t stop anyone from blowing up the plane in mid flight.
    Still, at least they'll have all the details of the deceased.

    Soon to be overheard at a crash cleanup and analysis site:

    Worker 1: Man, they were ripped to shreds. The peices are so small we haven't been able to match up a single identification yet.
    Worker 2: Yeah. About the biggest peice we've found is a weiner wearing a glow-in-the-dark condom, heh.
    Worker 1: Wait a minute, did you say wearing a glow-in-the-dark condom?
    Worker 2: Yeah, a real pisser, huh? [laughs]
    Worker 1: [shuffles pages of passenger info]
    Worker 1: YO ROB! OVER HERE! WE'VE IDENTIFIED ONE!

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