NYT: Officials Seek Broader Access to Airline Data

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/washington/22data.html?hp&ex=1156219200&en=b7c196fd8e030330&ei=5094&partner=homepage

United States and European authorities, looking for more tools to detect terrorist plots, want to expand the screening of international airline passengers by digging deep into a vast repository of airline itineraries, personal information and payment data.

A proposal by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff would allow the United States government not only to look for known terrorists on watch lists, but also to search broadly through the passenger itinerary data to identify people who may be linked to terrorists, he said in a recent interview.

Similarly, European leaders are considering seeking access to this same database, which contains not only names and addresses of travelers, but often their credit card information, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers and related hotel or car reservations.

“It forms part of an arsenal of tools which should be at least at the disposal of law enforcement authorities,” Friso Roscam Abbing, a spokesman for Franco Frattini, vice president of the European Commission and the European commissioner responsible for justice and security, said Monday.

[EFerrari]

1. What's next, our grocery shopping lists?

Freedom looks pretty ugly these days.

[thecrow]

3. Oh they already have those with the grocery store cards

Doncha know?

[EFerrari]

4. Oops! You're right.

And what a huge waste of resources since so few of us are actually a political threat to them.

These guys are dumber than a bag of rocks.

[AlCzervik]

2. never good when governments want to be even more invasive.

enough is enough.