Airlines Are Selling Your Data to ICE

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨dominiquec@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨technology@lemmy.world⁩

https://jacobin.com/2025/05/airlines-data-ice-trump-immigration/

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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nuko147@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

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 inveatigation, because doesn’t seem that this follows the GDPR for European travelers.

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- mriswith@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Seeing as Lufthansa is German company, they might have some massive fines incoming.
  
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  - JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Maximum GDPR fine is 4% of your revenue. For Lufthansa, that would be ~$1.4 billion, Air France ~$650 million, which is 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.
    
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  - Etienne_Dahu@jlai.lu ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    They better, why tf is Air France collaborating with these ICEholes?
    
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- NotSteve_@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  
  Air Canada
  
  Wtf Air Canada? Air France too
  
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- fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Assuming the data doesn’t include international departures or arrivals (only their domestic counterparts), would GDPR even apply?
  
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  - hitmyspot@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    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.
    
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Rentlar@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Can we get the courts to determine that as an “unreasonable search” already?

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- CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  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.
  
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  - avidamoeba@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    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.
    
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  - prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ 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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  - reiterationstation@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    The government was voted by us so at this point you need to be telling your fellow citizens that there are fucking stupid and we must remove everyone from office at this point.
    
    So we’re fucked. We’re fucked!
    
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- ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  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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  - hitmyspot@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Still it’s good to get it on record. Either the court is compromised, or gives good rationale, or ice is in breach. At this point it’s stilll a question.
    
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- toy_boat_toy_boat@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ 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.
  
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- rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ 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?
  
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- reiterationstation@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  No you will have to physically do it yourself (a a group). Law is dead.
  
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PartyAt15thAndSummit@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Nice racket. First you pay the airlines for their tickets, then the ICE with your tax dollars to buy your data from said airlines.

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- reiterationstation@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Soon they will be taking Americans to their death, too, and I assume no one will do fucking shit as usual.
  
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  - Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Did Germans do shit about Hitler? Nope, it was the rest of the world. And, well, one German who did shit about Hitler.
    
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- WindyRebel@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  It’s just the TIP of the ICEberg.
  
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- gradual@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Fuck.
  
  Great point. We need to be able to see the interconnections of this more often.
  
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shalafi@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ 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?

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Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Cue the airlines comes with hand-wringing to beg the Feds for more bailouts because “nobody is flying anymore.”

Parasitical business practices should lead to market exit.

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Sibbo@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
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?

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- FloMo@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  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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  - spankmonkey@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    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).
    
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- ILoveUnions@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ 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.
  
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  - FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    The government can’t just take every companies data. They absolutely can buy it if that is an option though. Just like how they pay for licenses for software, they can and do pay for data.
    
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- nevm@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  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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  - reiterationstation@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Well you could have easily not fucking come here.
    
    Americans are just fucked (and they stole the election so we get to be hated for voting for him while we didn’t even vote for him, our allies have every excuse not to lift a finger to care. Really convenient.)
    
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- keegomatic@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Since always, without a subpoena. Until PRISM, at least.
  
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doingthestuff@lemy.lol ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
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.

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- Jimmycakes@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Intersection cameras, license plate readers, face scanning. Expect some or all of it everytime you get behind the wheel.
  
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- moseschrute@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  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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  - doingthestuff@lemy.lol ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    True but I don’t like having my phone on me when I don’t want to be reachable. Sometimes it’s turned off at home.
    
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- tomkatt@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  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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  - doingthestuff@lemy.lol ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    No dongle, and I don’t always carry my phone. I get nonstop work calls, sometimes I turn it off and leave it.
    
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tal@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I’d think that they already have that due to the TSA.

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- ReiRose@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Not the financial data I guess. Or perhaps none of it can be shared across agencies.
  
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C1pher@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Jesus… well, avoid flying trough US if possible.

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mutual_ayed@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Can’t wait to read about the Palintir FAA merger

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Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Someone trusts flying in these conditions? That’s insane.

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- sykaster@feddit.nl ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  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.
  
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  - dzso@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ 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.
    
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- myrmidex@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Yea I feel the same, especially after reading this article.
  
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- nodiratime@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  There are flight not starting and not ending there.
  
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  - reiterationstation@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Don’t fly American planes, either.
    
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FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ 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.

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- gradual@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  But useful idiots on lemmy keep telling me it’s china doing all the surveillance through companies.
  
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RangerJosey@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ 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.

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SabinStargem@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Do foreign airlines that come into the country do this? Would an EU plane be safe from this bullshit?

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NGC2346@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

Twelve billion

I thought we we’re approximately 8.2 Billion on earth? Am i missing something?

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- JoeDyrt@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  One person can have multiple flights per year. Its still a huge number considering the billions in Asia who never fly.
  
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- y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  You’re right, everyone is only allowed one flight per year this doesn’t add up
  
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  - NGC2346@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    12 billion passenger is a bad way of saying it, 12 billion flights would’ve been better.
    
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