this post was submitted on 10 May 2025
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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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[–] Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 15 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours 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.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 15 points 5 hours 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?

[–] PartyAt15thAndSummit@lemmy.zip 59 points 9 hours ago (2 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.

[–] WindyRebel@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago

It’s just the TIP of the ICEberg.

[–] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 8 points 6 hours ago

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

[–] nuko147@lemm.ee 124 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 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 54 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

Lufthansa and Air France might have some massive fines incoming.

[–] JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz 10 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

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.

[–] NGC2346@sh.itjust.works -2 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

Twelve billion

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

[–] JoeDyrt@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 hours ago

One person can have multiple flights per year. Its still a huge number considering the billions in Asia who never fly.

[–] y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 hours ago

You're right, everyone is only allowed one flight per year this doesn't add up

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 85 points 15 hours ago (5 children)

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

[–] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 6 points 6 hours ago

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

[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 9 hours 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 5 points 6 hours 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 4 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 hours 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.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 8 hours 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

[–] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 2 points 6 hours 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!

[–] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 hours 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?

[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 39 points 14 hours 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.

[–] toy_boat_toy_boat@lemmy.world 6 points 12 hours 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.

[–] Sibbo@sopuli.xyz 22 points 13 hours 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 12 points 10 hours 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 2 points 7 hours 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 1 points 6 hours 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 14 points 13 hours 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.

[–] nevm@lemmy.ml 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

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!

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

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.)

[–] nevm@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 hours ago

Unless of course you’re forced to, like for your job. My place would have little to zero sympathy for my personal reasons not to travel unless it’s on a govt advisory not to.

[–] mutual_ayed@sh.itjust.works 18 points 14 hours ago

Can't wait to read about the Palintir FAA merger

[–] tal@lemmy.today 23 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] ReiRose@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago

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

[–] Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 12 points 15 hours ago (4 children)

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

[–] sykaster@feddit.nl 18 points 11 hours 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 7 points 7 hours 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 8 points 13 hours ago

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

[–] nodiratime@lemmy.world 3 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

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

[–] reiterationstation@lemm.ee 1 points 6 hours ago

Don’t fly American planes, either.