World | UK
It 'is a complete handover of rights'
Shami Chakrabarti, the director of the human rights group Liberty, expressed horror at the extent of the information made available following a deal struck by Brussels and Washington that allows US authorities inspect credit card and email accounts of Britons flying to America.
- The Telegraph Group
- Published: 00:00 January 2, 2007
London: Shami Chakrabarti, the director of the human rights group Liberty, expressed horror at the extent of the information made available following a deal struck by Brussels and Washington that allows US authorities inspect credit card and email accounts of Britons flying to America.
"It is a complete handover of the rights of people travelling to the United States," Chakrabarti said.
As the Americans tightened security after the 9/11 attacks, they demanded that airlines provide comprehensive information about passengers before allowing them to land. But this triggered a dispute that came to a head last year in a Catch 22 situation. On one hand they were told they must provide the information, on the other they were threatened with heavy fines by EU governments for breaching European data protection legislation.
A Department of Transport spokesman said, "Every airline is obliged to conform with these rules if they wish to continue flying."
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