this post was submitted on 10 May 2025
651 points (98.4% liked)

Technology

72425 readers
2333 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

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.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] nuko147@lemm.ee 169 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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.

[–] mriswith@lemmy.world 83 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Lufthansa and Air France might have some massive fines incoming.

[–] JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz 27 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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.

[–] rikudou@lemmings.world 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

[–] mriswith@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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.

[–] Etienne_Dahu@jlai.lu 7 points 1 month ago

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

[–] NotSteve_@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 month ago

Air Canada

Wtf Air Canada? Air France too

[–] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think it applies to eu citizens worldwide for online purposes. You only need to do business in eu with eu clients (seperate terms) for it to apply.

[–] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 3 points 1 month ago

Yea, I guess because they are "selling" vs being compensated for? If the US govt dictates terms to that business under homeland security, GDPR probably wouldn't matter, but I can only assume since it's a sale, that's not the case.

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 103 points 1 month ago (5 children)

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

[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 46 points 1 month 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.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 45 points 1 month ago (3 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.

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 month 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.

[–] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

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

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 month 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.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 1 month 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

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 month 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?

[–] toy_boat_toy_boat@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month 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.

[–] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 7 points 1 month ago

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

[–] PartyAt15thAndSummit@lemmy.zip 97 points 1 month ago (3 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.

[–] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

[–] Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month 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.

[–] Xanthobilly@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Too bad he didn’t act sooner.

[–] WindyRebel@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

It’s just the TIP of the ICEberg.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 48 points 1 month 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?

[–] Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 37 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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.

[–] Sibbo@sopuli.xyz 26 points 1 month ago (3 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?

[–] FloMo@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago (1 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.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Any reasonable court would equate requiring a warrant and requiring payment in the context of the 4th amendment (and similar rights/laws in other countries).

[–] FloMo@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

I would think and hope that, but evidence tends to point to the contrary.

A quick search brings up multiple articles including:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/01/nsa-finally-admits-to-spying-on-americans-by-purchasing-sensitive-data/

Guess those EULAS we all agreed to but never read had some sneaky language about what they can do with the data.

[–] ILoveUnions@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago

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.

[–] keegomatic@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Since always, without a subpoena. Until PRISM, at least.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 26 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

[–] ReiRose@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

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

[–] doingthestuff@lemy.lol 24 points 1 month ago (2 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.

[–] Jimmycakes@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

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

[–] tomkatt@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month 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.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] C1pher@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago

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

[–] Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 14 points 1 month ago (4 children)

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

[–] sykaster@feddit.nl 22 points 1 month 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.

[–] dzso@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month 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.

[–] myrmidex@slrpnk.net 9 points 1 month ago

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

[–] nodiratime@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

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

[–] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

Don’t fly American planes, either.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 7 points 1 month ago

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

load more comments
view more: next ›