Privacy Complaint Moves Passenger Information Issue To Forefront At DOTA

By John Gillick, Catherine Meyer, Josh Romanow and David Endersbee

A formal complaint against Northwest Airlines by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has reignited a firestorm of controversy regarding airline passenger data and how it is shared and maintained. The complaint, filed with the Department of Transportation (Department), alleges that Northwest engaged in an unfair and deceptive practice when it released three months of passenger data to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for use in a security program NASA was developing.

Apart from a short public statement noting that "the law does not prohibit airlines from providing or selling passenger information such as passenger lists," the Department refused to comment on the merits of the complaint.