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San Francisco, CA – A hidden network within the aviation industry is raising serious privacy concerns. The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), a massive data clearinghouse processing information from billions of passenger flights annually, is reportedly selling this data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Trump administration.
According to documents reviewed by The Lever, this data includes sensitive details such as “full flight itineraries, passenger name records, and financial details,” information that would otherwise be very difficult for the government to obtain.
Secretive Program Fuels Surveillance
This information is channeled into the Travel Intelligence Program, a secretive government operation, providing ICE and other federal agencies with unprecedented access to air traveler data. Experts warn that this vast database, with unclear privacy restrictions, poses a significant threat to civil liberties.
Edward Hasbrouck, a travel data privacy expert, calls this “the single most significant aggregated repository of data about American air travelers,” emphasizing the gravity of the government’s access.
How Your Data is Collected
When you book a flight through an online travel agency like Booking.com or Expedia, the transaction data flows through ARC. As an intermediary between travel agencies and airlines, ARC processes data from 54% of all flights taken globally, meaning your travel information likely passes through their systems.
In a statement, ARC claims the Travel Intelligence Program was established post-9/11 to provide data to law enforcement for national security and criminal investigations. However, the company declined to comment on whether non-US government clients also have access to this data.
Airline Ownership & Monopoly Concerns
ARC is jointly owned by major airlines like Delta, Southwest, United, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Air Canada, Lufthansa, and Air France. With over 200 airlines settling tickets through ARC, the company enjoys unmatched access to passenger data, further raising concerns about its monopoly.
Consumer advocates have criticized ARC’s dominance in airline booking processing, with Bill McGee from the American Economic Liberties Project noting that ARC “collects massive amounts of personal data on consumers, including information on finances, travel itineraries, [and] shopping patterns.” McGee adds that ARC selling this information to the government is “rather chilling”.
“Over One Billion Records”
While ARC has long offered travel trend reports and transaction data for a fee, experts expressed surprise at the company providing data to the government. Federal law enforcement already accesses flight data through various channels, but these documents suggest ARC provides unique and vital information.
According to ICE documents, ARC’s database holds “over one billion records” spanning 39 months of past and future travel data. Through the Travel Intelligence Program, analysts can “gain unrestricted access to all sold ticket databases, enabling targeted searches by name or credit card number.”
Unanswered Questions and Potential for Abuse
The timeline of the federal government’s use of ARC’s repository remains unclear. Government spending records show the Department of Homeland Security referencing an ARC-hosted “investigative database” dating back to 2018. Contracts with the Department of Defense and the Treasury further demonstrate the widespread government use of ARC data.
With ICE receiving a significant budget increase under the Trump administration, concerns about potential abuse are rising. As McGee asks, “How will this information be used? What safeguards on privacy and personal rights will be in place? There are far too many unanswered questions.”
This article was first published by The Lever, an award-winning independent investigative newsroom.
Filed Under: United States, Policing and Repression, Big Data, Airline Industry
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