US may be in breach of US data laws - Banotti

Plans to pass on personal information about Irish citizens travelling to the US may be in breach of the EU's data protection laws, according to Fine Gael MEP Mary Banotti.

And she warned today that out of date information could lead to deportation or imprisonment.

"Since March there has been an informal agreement between the EU and the USA that four major airlines: Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa and Iberia, will provide full details about US-bound passengers to the US authorities," said Ms Banotti, a member of the European Parliament's Citizens' Rights Committee.

"This information was previously limited to the names of passengers, although Aer Lingus has been supplying passport numbers to the US for the last year.

"It now seems certain that Aer Lingus will be obliged to disclose all passenger details to the US from September, or face fines of $6,000 (€8,367) per passenger.

These details include proposed accommodation in the US, seat preference, airmile points, credit card details, and meal preference.

"I recognise the need for counter-terrorism measures, but I have to question whether these measures breach the EU's data protection laws. Some EU Data Protection Commissioners are concerned that airlines could be prosecuted for breaching EU laws while being refused permission to land in the US.

"How many passengers know that this detailed information will be released? What's more, how long will this information be held, and who will have access to this information?

"The US does not have data protection laws as we know them, and I am concerned that out of date information could be linked with a particular passenger, leading to deportation or prison.

"I will be discussing this issue further with Aer Lingus and the Data Protection Commissioner, Joe Meade, and it will be raised again by the Citizen's Rights Committee," she added.