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EU Lawmakers Condemn U.S. Anti-Terror Ai

Posted by Jeff (Guest) jeff@attoz.com - Thursday, March 18 2004, 11:18:47 (EST) from 69.14.56.182 - d14-69-182-56.try.wideopenwest.com Commercial - Windows XP - Netscape Website: Website title:

EU Lawmakers Condemn U.S. Anti-Terror Air Data Deal By Lisa Jucca BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Key EU lawmakers dealt a blow to Washington's air security strategy Thursday by rejecting a U.S.-EU accord on handing over passengers' personal details. Citing civil rights concerns, the European Parliament's civil liberties committee voted by a large majority to condemn the European Commission (news - web sites) for agreeing to pass on data, such as credit card numbers and phone numbers, which Washington says it needs to spot potential terrorists. "The agreement with the United States is not on a level that...gives enough protection to EU citizens," said Dutch Liberal Democrat Johanna Boogerd-Quaak. She said the draft deal, which is not reciprocal, did not treat EU and U.S. citizens equally should they mistakenly end up on a U.S. black list. The committee asked the Commission to change its decision or face a legal challenge in the EU's top court, the European Court of Justice. The full parliament will vote at the end of the month on whether it supports its committee's view. The parliament's opinion has no legal force, but the Commission will find it difficult to ignore such a strong political signal from the EU's elected assembly, officials say. "We are looking forward to the vote in plenary and we will react at that time," a Commission spokesman said. BROAD CONCERNS The U.S. screening plans have also sparked concern at home, where some members of Congress are questioning whether it would catch potential hijackers or simply violate the privacy of millions of travelers. Faced with the prospect of huge fines, non-U.S. airlines have already started transferring data to the United States. Under the deal with the EU, airlines would be permitted to grant U.S. authorities access to their booking records, allowing the transfer of up to 34 pieces of individual data. The United States has promised to delete the most sensitive information, such as those indicating race, health or religion, but will store the rest for three and a half years. Official EU privacy watchdogs in EU states unanimously rejected the deal in January, saying Washington had not set up a proper system of redress for travelers who were unjustly delayed or even arrested due to a data mismatch. EU government officials have given the green light to the EU-U.S. aid data deal. The Commission is itself also drafting a proposal to start using travelers' data for aviation security. --------------------- - BACK TO INDEX - REPLY - QUOTE - EDIT - DELETE -

The full topic: EU Lawmakers Condemn U.S. Anti-Terror Ai Jeff - Thursday, March 18 2004, 11:18:47 (EST) EU Lawmakers Condemn U.S. Anti-Terror Ai parhad - 03/18 14:59

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