Travel Papers Bitte
EU move to collect fact files on air passengers - Scotsman.com News
PASSENGERS boarding flights within Europe – even on domestic UK routes – will have a wide range of personal details stored on a security database for more than a decade, under plans being drawn up by the EU's Justice Minister.
The controversial move by EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini would see 19 facts about each passenger kept on file for more than a decade and available to a range of agencies.
The Passenger Name Recording (PNR) information would even include details of requests made to change seats or how tickets were paid for.
Initially, if the plan is ratified, it is claimed only the 27 EU member states would get to view the details – which will be kept for 13 years – but civil liberty groups are convinced the US government would soon demand to be able to see them.
One security source said: "There is no question that once this material becomes available that Washington will want access to it."
Already, anyone flying to the States from the EU has their details entered into a security database for the US authorities, but critics believe Frattini's idea is an extension of that policy.
Last night, a spokesman for the EU said that while any firm decision was some time away, "it would be strange" if the UK did not sign up.
Strange indeed if the UK weren't in the forefront of this move to squirrel away any personal detail they can about people exercising their free choice to travel, and then "losing" the data for any Tom, Dick or Muhammed to use as they want.
In other news:
Britain rated worst in Europe for protecting privacy | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics
Britain, the country with the world's biggest network of surveillance cameras, has the worst record in Europe for the protection of privacy, according to a report from a London-based international watchdog.
The UK is billed as "an endemic surveillance society" alongside Russia, the US, Singapore and China in the survey of 47 countries by Privacy International (PI).
Britain is bottom in Europe because of its cameras, ID card plans and lack of government accountability. ..
The report concludes that the 2007 rankings "show an increasing trend among governments to archive data on the geographic, communications and financial records of all their citizens and residents. This trend leads to the conclusion that all citizens, regardless of legal status, are under suspicion.
Four out of five doctors believe patient database will be at risk - Times Online
Only a fifth of doctors believe that a national electronic system for storing patients’ records will be secure, a poll for The Times has shown.
More than three quarters are either “not confident” that data will be safe or “very worried” that data will leak once the £20 billion National Programme for IT (NPfIT) is running. Asked how well they thought that local NHS organisations would be able to maintain the privacy of data, only 4 per cent said very well. The majority, 57 per cent, said quite or very poorly....
A pro forma letter written by anti-NPfIT campaigners is available on a website for patients who want to object to their details being included in the database. The letter, on www.nhsconfidentiality.org, is designed to be sent by patients to their GPs. The Department of Health said that patients who chose to opt out might not get the best emergency care.