this post was submitted on 10 May 2025
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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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[–] [email protected] 175 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 86 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Lufthansa and Air France might have some massive fines incoming.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

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

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

Air Canada

Wtf Air Canada? Air France too

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 107 points 1 week ago (5 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 46 points 1 week ago (6 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week 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.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week 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

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] rc__buggy 9 points 1 week 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?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week 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.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

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

[–] [email protected] 97 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

Too bad he didn’t act sooner.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

It’s just the TIP of the ICEberg.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 week ago

IBM supplied Nazis with the machines and punch cards to track the population. Throwing that out there for no particular reason. What where we talking about?

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Cue the airlines come with hand-wringing to beg the Feds for more bailouts because "nobody is flying anymore."

Parasitical business practices should lead to market exit.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 week ago (4 children)

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?

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (4 children)

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!

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

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

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I drive everywhere. Yeah, I know, fuck cars. But honestly they're tracking everyone's movement. Have you noticed all of the intersection cameras that have popped up everywhere? Fuck the authoritarian surveillance state.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago

Intersection cameras, license plate readers, face scanning. Expect some or all of it everytime you get behind the wheel.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

They don’t need cameras. Your phone is constantly connecting to cell towers and broadcasting its unique identifier. Those towers keep a record of who has connected. So long as your in range of 3 or more towers they can triangulate your location.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You got one of those dongles, like State Farm's Drive Safe and Save program? Carry a cell phone? You're still being tracked.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago

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

[–] mutual_ayed 19 points 1 week ago

Can't wait to read about the Palintir FAA merger

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (4 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week 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.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

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

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week 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.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

As long as programs like 5-Eyes exist you just have to assume every time you interact with a company it is in the hands of all of the governments.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

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

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