American Airlines admits disclosing passenger data

[PfcHammer]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040411/pl_afp/us_attacks_air_040411224313

American Airlines admits disclosing passenger data

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A contractor for American Airlines has admitted to sharing personal passenger information with the US government and other companies, thrusting the world's largest carrier into a bitter controversy over rights to privacy in the post-September 11 world.

The disclosure, certain to alarm civil libertarians, made American the third leading US airline caught disseminating private data behind the back of its customers in the name of fighting terrorism.

Airline Automation, a Tucson, Arizona-based data processing company, acknowledged Saturday that it had released American Airlines passenger records in 2002 to four companies that had been testing aviation security systems for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

"This testing was part of that US government agency's effort to improve aviation security in response to the shocking events of 9/11," Airline Automation said in a statement, referring to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

The information was released "only after receiving the express authorization of American Airlines," the firm explained.

The four companies included Lockheed Martin, a major defense contractor, according to industry officials.

American Airlines said its authorization covered only data being forwarded directly to the federal government, and not its corporate clients.

At the same time, the carrier sought to play down the importance of the disclosure.

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[MasonJar]

1. The airlines are digging their own downfall. I am flying to D.C.

to Emily's List in late April, but from now on I'm driving or etc. i am not going to pay to have my name submitted to this government.

[havocmom]

2. submitted to the government 'and other companies'

Let's all ask, no insist, AA shares with us names of the companies/entities it shares info about us with.

Somehow I get the feeling the upper class doesn't want the peasants mobile. How long before we don't get any news from outside out little villiages of mud huts?

[Nihil]

3. "How long?"

No offence intended but if you're in the mainland USA and you don't
have an internet connection, you're there already.

Mainstream news media in the USA simply fails to acknowledge that the
rest of the world exists (unless there is a brave, honest, god-fearing
American out there amongst the heathens).

The majority of the US population is trained to accept the word of the
TV spokesperson and so will not even question any given report, much
less go out and try to find out about things that might have been kept
from them.