A section of the Department of Homeland Security has just purchased the world’s biggest database of global airline ticket sales. Here are some tips from experts on how travelers can stay safe.
The majority of travelers are unaware that there is a travel agency. Airlines Reporting Corporation Eight major U.S. carriers own ARC. According to the ARC’s website, “it is the world’s most comprehensive database of airline tickets.”
This database was just sold to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—a branch under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. This information includes the names of passengers and their flight details. according to 404 Media.
According to the Federal Procurement Data SystemARC has signed a contract giving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to the Travel Intelligence Program database (TIP) through May 2028. An ARC representative said the TIP was “created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to provide certain data … to law enforcement.” GovTribe is a software which tracks federal and state contracting. estimates that this contract is worth $776,750.
The Lever and 404 Media obtained documents stating that ICE could search the database by using names or credit card numbers of a “traveler/target.” The Lever and 404 Media obtained documents stating that ICE would be able search this database using the names or credit card information of a “traveler/target.”
Travel + Leisure ICE was contacted by the Department of Homeland Security. ICE did not respond at the time this article was published.
“I have never seen government access to ARC—or even ARC itself—mentioned in an airline privacy policy or a travel agency policy,” travel data privacy expert Edward Hasbrouck told The Lever.
ARC is owned and run by eight major airlinesDelta Air Lines (DAL), Southwest Airlines (SWA), United Airlines (UAL), American Airlines (AA), Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, and Air France. ARC’s website states that its database contains 54 percent of global flights. The data is collected from accredited travel agents and direct from airlines.
T+L reached all eight airlines. Alaska Airlines referred questions to the ARC; the other seven airlines did not respond at the time the article was published.
Joshua McKenty – former NASA chief cloud architect and founder of PolyguardT+L reported that.
What travelers need to know
McKenty suggested that travelers, particularly foreign nationals visiting America, purchase their own flights. He added that immigration lawyers, and other people involved in the refugee processing should not purchase tickets for their clientele. The DHS may associate their data with them.
The data acquisition is parallel to the Real ID mandateIncrease in facial recognition programs Changes in privacy of travel data at airports and other places
McKenty stated that the most frightening parts of biometrics is what travelers do not notice or consider.
It is not guaranteed that photographs taken in airports by non-U.S. citizens will be deleted. The truth is, according to Customs and Border Protection documents“All biometrics are in scope [noncitizen] Travelers are sent to IDENT/HART via encounters, and they are retained in the database for up to 75 years, supporting immigration, border management and law enforcement.” Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology is the DHS’s biometric identity database.
Last month, GAO raised concerns regarding HART. a letter A letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi N. Noem urging her to take urgent measures to reduce privacy risks. A GAO report HART is not intended to be used for surveillance.
Privacy experts have also raised concerns about the DHS’s collection and storage of data on immigrants. children’s DNA in a criminal database.
Privacy is an inherent human right. It’s protected by Article 12 the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. McKenty warns that the government’s policies are changing and the privacy rights of travelers are being aligned quickly with the administration. McKenty suggests that travelers are aware of their travel rights, and those they do not have.
McKenty said: “The idea that government should invade everyone’s privacy in order to search for anything we deem suspicious is simply wrong.” We have safeguards in place to prevent that behavior from occurring.
