Giving airline data to US illegal: EU court (Reuters)

[Up2Late]

("...just another Brick in the wall..." This is all they have so far, hopfully they will add more soon.)

Giving airline data to US illegal: EU court

Tue May 30, 2006 03:58 AM ET

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union acted illegally when it agreed to transfer airline passenger data to the United States as part of U.S. efforts to fight terrorism, the bloc's highest court said on Tuesday.

Under a May 2004 EU-U.S. agreement, European airlines have been obliged to give U.S. authorities 34 items of information on passengers flying to the United States, including name, address, all forms of payment and contact telephone numbers.

The United States insisted the transfer of data was essential to fight terrorism following the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington by suicide plane hijackers.

The European Court of Justice said the agreement lacked an adequate legal basis.

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

<http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNe... >

[Kellanved]

1. EU court says giving airline data to U.S. illegal

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union acted illegally when it agreed to transfer airline passenger data to the United States as part of U.S. efforts to fight terrorism, the bloc's highest court said on Tuesday.

Under a May 2004 EU-U.S. agreement, European airlines have been obliged to give U.S. authorities 34 items of information on passengers flying to the United States, including name, address, all forms of payment and contact telephone numbers.

The United States insisted the transfer of data was essential to fight terrorism following the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington by suicide plane hijackers.

...
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=798052006

[MissHoneychurch]

2. Now that is good news

I just hope that the information giving is stopping now.

[Stockholm]

3. About time!

Now declare the stupid inefficient terrorist lists illegal as well.

[rpannier]

4. But those lists are essential to protecting the United States from

Terrorists.
I mean, these lists helped stop the former pop singer Cat Stevens from entering the United States. He was probably planning to dismantle the Eisenhower Highway with a screw driver, a pick-axe and something sold by Mr. Popeil.
We should all be concerned about our safety now. I mean, now Osama bin Laden and the other al Qaeda terrorists will be able to buy airline tickets to the US from Europe and create real havoc.

[Kellanved]

7. No

Actually this means that the Visa waver agreement will be discontinued. It is getting harder to get to the US, especially to work or to study, by the week.
Internships stateside were very much the rule five years ago; today it is almost impossible to get the paperwork cleared without investing several thousand Euros; the same thing for (temporal) stays at US universities.

The 90-day Visa waver visits were the sole exception and they were only allowed under the condition that biometric passports and the data were provided. It is considered hazing, especially as non-European countries are seeing a relaxation of visa guidelines, but it can't be helped.

If the US tourism industry is smart, they should start lobbying about now (the higher education industry slept right through it).

[crickets]

9. Scary thought

As it's becoming harder to get in, how much longer before it becomes harder to get out?

[PSPS]

13. It will happen on 1/1/2008, just in time for bush's martial law

That's when you'll need a passport to travel anywhere outside the US.

http://www.westernfrontonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2...

[Eugene]

5. This is good but I don't think BushCo will give up.

The Bushies haven't let the law stop them before. Why start now?
If BushCo can't coerce European governments and the DHS can't
strongarm the airlines, there is always the NSA. This is not over.

[Ghost Dog]

6. "Can I get a drink of water?"

[DemExpat]

8. Finally!

Glad to hear this opposition to US impositions!



DemEx

[CHIMO]

10. EU blocks US access to flight data

The EU's highest court today blocked an agreement to give the US information about transatlantic air passengers.

The European court of justice ruling said the US did not provide adequate protection for air passengers' privacy.

Under the agreement, reached in May 2004, EU airlines have been obliged to give Washington 34 items of information about passengers flying to the US. The details include names, addresses, all forms of payment and contact telephone numbers.

The court ruled that the decision by the council of ministers - the decision-making body that represents national governments - to sign the agreement had lacked an adequate legal basis.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/eu/story/0,,1786002,00.html

[Kagemusha]

11. Well. This isn't a small thing at all.

Serious crimp in the US' grand plans for the War on Terror, to make us all feel safe through oppressive security.

[Eurobabe]

12. Leaving in less than two weeks

I'm outta here. Glad to have my rights back in the EU.

[tuvor]

14. CBC: EU court strikes down passenger information deal with U.S.

European airlines don't have to comply with U.S. demands for information about passengers bound for American destinations, the European's Union's highest court has ruled.

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg found that the data collected under a May 2004 EU-U.S. deal would not be "adequately protected" by the United States.

The deal compels airlines to submit 34 pieces of information about each passenger within 15 minutes of their departure to the United States. That data would include name, address and credit card details as well as travel itineraries, addresses, telephone numbers and meal requests, which can indicate a passenger's religion or ethnicity.

Canada and the EU struck a similar deal last year under which passenger names are transferred to the Canada Border Services Agency. Canada has promised to treat the information in line with EU data protection.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/05/30/eu-us...

[NYC]

17. Data would not be adequately protected.

...the data collected under a May 2004 EU-U.S. deal would not be "adequately protected" by the United States...

Identity theft becomes easier all the time. Too many companies (and the government) compiling information on us, then distributing it, or not protecting it.

Too bad this ruling does nothing to stop the submission of information on Americans.

[leveymg]

15. This is just the beginning of EU lawsuits and embargos on US firms

The Other Blowback: NSA Spying Threatens Continued US Commercial Operation of the World-Wide Web

Expect to see more rulings from EU and other international courts that forbid transfer of personal data to U.S. intelligence agencies and private sector concerns that work with them to harvest information on global telecom networks. In its decision yesterday banning an EU-U.S. passenger data sharing agreement, the EU Court of Justice held that it is illegal for aviation concerns to knowingly provide NSA/DHS and U.S. contractors with information that is protected by European regional privacy laws. See, http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNe...

As the NSA spying abuses scandal spreads, expect further cut-off of information sharing from the Europeans and other regions where privacy concerns have developed. Such embargos threaten the leading position that the U.S. has had until now over access and control of World Wide Web operations and rules. The consequences could be a huge commercial loss to American IT firms, as well as a breakdown in a single, uniform system of rules that govern Internet communications, arrangements that currently benefit U.S. firms.

The illegal warrentless interception of global information flows threatens previous information sharing agreements, such as the Internet domain registry and global cell phone protocols that are currently run by U.S. firms. The two top Internet domain registrars, VeriSign and NeuStar, have been recently revealed to be main providers of warrantless surveillance to the NSA. The biggest U.S.-based telecoms and Internet registrars have benefited from huge federal contracts for sale of data on network users. See, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/20/16437/4670 ; http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/26/11367/6684 .

American firms such as AT&T, VeriSign and NeuStar that operate as common carriers or network registries have been cooperating with the Bush Administration's vacuum cleaner approach to data mining. In so doing, they have violated U.S. and foreign laws, as well the terms of agreement with customers and other telecom concerns that use the same data networks. These companies face severe commercial and legal consequences if they continue to fail to protect the privacy interests of their customers and other network users.

U.S. telecom companies are just beginning to see the downside to the rush to cash in on Bush Administration spying contracts. The cost may be the lose of American dominance over this sector, one of the last enjoyed by U.S. firms.

__________________________________________
2006, Mark G. Levey

[demo dutch]

16. Europe understands, so why do Americans put with this shit!

[NYC]

18. I have no idea.

I truly don't.

[Up2Late]

19. 70% of Americans do, it's just the 5% who are in control who don't...

...care what the 70% think that are the problem.

[demo dutch]

23. I'm not so sure about that!

[Marie26]

20. This reminds me of the NSA story

Everyone's just turning over our info to the Bush Adm., no questions asked.

[poverlay]

21. Why does the EU hate freedom? Sorry couldn't resist :) n/t

[Up2Late]

22. LOL...!

Thanks, you just made me smile with that one.