Mark M. Jaycox explains why the new agreement between the EU and U.S. on passenger name records (PNR) of travelers is a Very Bad Deal for those in the EU:
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… last week the European Council approved the agreement, which now waits for the consent of the European Parliament. Sadly, the draft agreement focuses on what citizens are entitled to request, but not on what citizens are entitled to receive. EFF is concerned that DHS will continue its practices of failing to give users access to their own PNR data, of unduly delaying responses to data requests, and of failing to keep proper access logs.
EFF is not alone in raising these issues. In April of this year, an independent European advisory body created by the European Commission to comment on the use of PNR data issued a nine-page opinion on EU PNR agreements. The advisory body voiced concerns about the collection of huge amounts of personal passenger data, the length of time the data is kept, and the need to keep strict access logs. As recently as last week, the European Data Protection Supervisor and the German government voiced similar concerns. The issues raised are emblems of the large gap between the United States and the European Union approach to sensitive personal data.
Read more on EFF and if you’re an EU reader of this site, you need to speak up and try to prevent the EP from putting so much of your personal information in my government’s hands. Seriously.