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A massive aviation industry clearinghouse that processes data for twelve billion passenger flights per year is selling that information to the Trump administration amid the White House’s new immigration crackdown, according to documents reviewed by the Lever.

The data — including “full flight itineraries, passenger name records, and financial details, which are otherwise difficult or impossible to obtain” for past and future flights — is fed into a secretive government intelligence operation called the Travel Intelligence Program and provided to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies, records reveal.

Details of this program were outlined in procurement documents released Wednesday by ICE, which is a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

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[-] nuko147@lemm.ee 172 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

The company is jointly owned by nine major airlines, most of which are US-based: Delta, Southwest, United, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Air Canada, Lufthansa, and Air France.

I hope EU starts some investigation, because it doesn't seem this follows the GDPR for European travelers.

[-] mriswith@lemmy.world 83 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Lufthansa and Air France might have some massive fines incoming.

[-] JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz 27 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Maximum GDPR fine is 4% of your revenue. For Lufthansa, that would be ~$1.4 billion, Air France ~$650 million, both of which are roughly their entire net income for one year.

Not sure if anyone has been hit with the maximum ever though, as everyone just keeps track of the dollars and not percentage of revenue.

[-] rikudou@lemmings.world 6 points 6 days ago

AFAIK no one has triggered the biggest fines (yet?). Can't wait for it to happen.

[-] mriswith@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I think the biggest one by value is Meta with €1.2b. Although their revenue is in the $150b+ range, so not maxed out.

[-] Etienne_Dahu@jlai.lu 7 points 5 days ago

They better, why tf is Air France collaborating with these ICEholes?

[-] NotSteve_@lemmy.ca 7 points 5 days ago

Air Canada

Wtf Air Canada? Air France too

[-] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 4 points 5 days ago

Assuming the data doesn't include international departures or arrivals (only their domestic counterparts), would GDPR even apply?

[-] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 3 points 5 days ago

I think it applies to eu citizens worldwide for online purposes. You only need to do business in eu with eu clients (seperate terms) for it to apply.

[-] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 3 points 5 days ago

Yea, I guess because they are "selling" vs being compensated for? If the US govt dictates terms to that business under homeland security, GDPR probably wouldn't matter, but I can only assume since it's a sale, that's not the case.

[-] PartyAt15thAndSummit@lemmy.zip 94 points 6 days ago

Nice racket. First you pay the airlines for their tickets, then the ICE with your tax dollars to buy your data from said airlines.

[-] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 19 points 6 days ago

Soon they will be taking Americans to their death, too, and I assume no one will do fucking shit as usual.

[-] Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

Did Germans do shit about Hitler? Nope, it was the rest of the world. And, well, one German who did shit about Hitler.

[-] Xanthobilly@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

Too bad he didn’t act sooner.

[-] WindyRebel@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago

It’s just the TIP of the ICEberg.

[-] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 103 points 6 days ago

Can we get the courts to determine that as an "unreasonable search" already?

[-] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 45 points 6 days ago

Yeah so bad news. The government has routinely purchased data like this as an end run around the 4th Amendment. The data is collected by a third party, often with the customers "consent".

This is why we need stricter privacy controls around our data. The fact that this data was collated in the first place is problematic. The fact that it's being sold for profit is abhorrent.

[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 14 points 6 days ago

The mental trick that keeps on giving. When government does it - it's automatically bad, but when a private business does it - it's between the business and its customers. Then all the gov't needs to do is become a customer on the B2B side.

[-] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 6 points 6 days ago

It’s like that because we vote in weak mediators that don’t do shit.

[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 4 points 6 days ago

True. But I think to a great extent that's the case because business funds the weak ones and spends good money to convince us to elect them. Then they keep the profits rolling. Rinse and repeat.

[-] prole 14 points 6 days ago

The fact that it's being sold for profit is abhorrent.

Not even just profit now, but literally for the furtherance of the cruelty and suffering being dispensed by ICE

[-] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 3 points 6 days ago

The government was voted by us so at this point you need to be telling your fellow citizens that there are fucking stupid and we must remove everyone from office at this point.

So we’re fucked. We’re fucked!

[-] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 45 points 6 days ago

The same courts that the government routinely ignores, and that has a sham, corrupt supreme court at it's head? Yeah, good luck with that, unfortunately.

[-] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 2 points 5 days ago

Still it’s good to get it on record. Either the court is compromised, or gives good rationale, or ice is in breach. At this point it’s stilll a question.

[-] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 9 points 6 days ago

Flock operates thier ALPR cameras the same way. They own the data but will happily hand it over to law enforcement. Cities are contracting with Flock to install the network of ALPRs.

If we had cops on the street recording everyone's license plate as they drove by I'm sure a savvy lawyer could argue successfully that it's an illegal search. Somehow, when a private company does it and makes the database accessible it's not?

[-] toy_boat_toy_boat@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

yo, the exec has said they're actively trying to suspend habeas corpus. we're going back in time now. i thought the tea tariffs on the UK would have been enough symbolism to work with.

[-] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 7 points 6 days ago

No you will have to physically do it yourself (a a group). Law is dead.

[-] C1pher@lemmy.world 21 points 5 days ago

Jesus... well, avoid flying trough US if possible.

[-] RangerJosey@lemmy.ml 9 points 5 days ago

Everyone is stealing your data and selling it. Feeding it into AI. Building profiles on you to better send you ads.

Yes. Literally every company. There's no regulation so to them it's free money.

[-] Sibbo@sopuli.xyz 27 points 6 days ago

Since when does a government agency have to pay for receiving a companies data? I guess there is no law for allowing ICE to access that data, and then they just pay instead?

[-] FloMo@lemmy.world 19 points 6 days ago

If I had to guess, obtaining the data by force may require a court order or legal process.

Buying data that someone else is willingly selling bypasses those steps.

[-] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Any reasonable court would equate requiring a warrant and requiring payment in the context of the 4th amendment (and similar rights/laws in other countries).

[-] FloMo@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

I would think and hope that, but evidence tends to point to the contrary.

A quick search brings up multiple articles including:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/01/nsa-finally-admits-to-spying-on-americans-by-purchasing-sensitive-data/

Guess those EULAS we all agreed to but never read had some sneaky language about what they can do with the data.

[-] ILoveUnions@lemmy.world 17 points 6 days ago

Yeah that's one of the things that stood out as what the hell.. the companies already have the data, if ICE wanted it legally they shouldn't need to pay... Really shows how shady they're being.

[-] keegomatic@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

Since always, without a subpoena. Until PRISM, at least.

[-] nevm@lemmy.ml 5 points 6 days ago

At least for foreigners travelling into the US, you’re willingly giving the US govt most of this information up front anyway via the APIS. And paying for the privilege!

[-] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 3 points 6 days ago

Well you could have easily not fucking come here.

Americans are just fucked (and they stole the election so we get to be hated for voting for him while we didn’t even vote for him, our allies have every excuse not to lift a finger to care. Really convenient.)

[-] nevm@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 days ago

Unless of course you’re forced to, like for your job. My place would have little to zero sympathy for my personal reasons not to travel unless it’s on a govt advisory not to.

[-] pirat@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Time to quit and find a better employer...

[-] tal@lemmy.today 23 points 6 days ago

I'd think that they already have that due to the TSA.

[-] ReiRose@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Not the financial data I guess. Or perhaps none of it can be shared across agencies.

[-] mutual_ayed@sh.itjust.works 17 points 6 days ago

Can't wait to read about the Palintir FAA merger

[-] Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 15 points 6 days ago

Someone trusts flying in these conditions? That's insane.

[-] sykaster@feddit.nl 22 points 6 days ago

Even if I trust the flying itself, I don't trust not being detained upon entering the USA. I'm not flying there again anytime soon.

[-] dzso@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago

Even as a white male US born citizen, I also don't see myself flying back any time soon. I'm nobody, but I've run my mouth against fascists online enough that I've probably triggered some flag in the system.

[-] myrmidex@slrpnk.net 8 points 6 days ago

Yea I feel the same, especially after reading this article.

[-] nodiratime@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

There are flights not in or out of the US...

[-] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 2 points 6 days ago

Don’t fly American planes, either.

[-] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 7 points 5 days ago

Do foreign airlines that come into the country do this? Would an EU plane be safe from this bullshit?

this post was submitted on 10 May 2025
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