American officials given access to e-mail of passengers flying to USA

Agreement signed between EU and USA during Finnish EU Presidency

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E-mail addresses and credit card information of air passengers flying from Europe to the United States can be examined if US officials feel that it is necessary. Under an agreement between the United States and international airlines flying to the US, American officials are entitled to keep passenger data for at least three and a half years.
      Airlines are currently required to submit a list to US security officials on each passenger containing 34 separate items, including the method of payment used for the ticket - in many cases the credit card number and e-mail address, if they are used when booking the flight.
     
The issue raised a small uproar in Britain last week when these details emerged from a provisional agreement signed in Brussels in October between the EU and the USA, at the time when Finland held the Presidency of the European Union.
      Carriers flying to the United States have been required to submit passenger information to US officials since the autumn of 2003. At that time the personal information of tens of thousands of Finns have been sent to the Americans.
     
"US officials have the right to look at all booking information for a flight. However, an agreement between the EU and the United States requires that the United States filters out all information that is sensitive", says Mirja Kuovi-Pekkanen, Finnair’s head of passenger regulations.
      Sensitive information includes personal data, such as special meal requests which might reveal a passenger’s religion.
      The security officials are given access to the information already 72 hours before a plane’s departure, up to immediately before departure, when last-minute changes can be seen.
      "Passengers need not be worried. The present agreement guarantees that the information is in a narrow sector, and data protection officials say that it is well under control. We have to believe that e-mail and credit card information will be kept in a sufficiently monitored environment", Kuovi-Pekkanen says.
      However, she also feels that it is good that there is discussion on the matter. Next summer, the new EU Presidency-holder Germany will be in a position to take up the issue with the Americans again.
     
Finland’s Data Protection Ombudsman Reijo Aarnio agrees. However, he also feels that passengers have no concrete cause for concern in the matter.
      He feels that the agreement is formally in order. However, he believes that further assessments are still needed, because of the risks involved. For instance, in questions of privacy protection, the US officials supervise themselves, in effect.
      "The agreement notes that there is a sufficient possibility for supervision. But we data protection people feel that supervision should be made more stringent."


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnair flights to USA continue without disruption (2.10.2006)

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