US government set to collect more information on passengers
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Posted on: October 19th, 2007 by Jean Adams
US Homeland Security is set to introduce a new program called “Secure Flight,” which means that airlines will be required to provide governments with more personal information on who has purchased tickets for flights. Additionally, under the new Secure Flight scheme, it will no longer be the airlines that decide who can and cannot check-in for a flight due to a potential security risk, but rather the government. What is especially worrying to some critics is that these rules would apply not only to domestic routes, but potentially all airplanes that travel through US airspace, even if it is not their intention to land at an American airport. This would mostly affect Canadian flights to Mexico, the Caribbean and
Latin America in general. The
US will also collect information on citizens of European Union countries, and Michael Chertoff suggested that this may include details on a given passenger’s race, religion, sex life, political inclinations and whether he or she is a member of a labour union. It is unclear precisely how this type of personal information will be collected.
If Secure Flight is implemented, the state will take charge of confirming that passengers booked on a flight are not listed on the
US no-fly list. Civil libertarians, privacy rights advocates and some congressmen are especially concerned about the possibility that names will be confused and people who are not on the no-fly list, or present no threat at all, will be denied boarding. Additionally, there is increasing concern over whether Homeland Security will also collect information on the political sympathies and union memberships of Americans, as the federal department apparently plans to do in the case of Europeans. More confusion, hassle and possible delays may also be the result of new measures which would require that airlines hand over personal information on travelers at least 72 hours before the departure of a given flight. It remains to be seen how this rule will apply to those who book last minute.
