What Next | Daily News and Analysis TBD | Airlines Are Selling Your Data to the Government
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Jun 22, 2025 
Joseph Cox, co-founder of 404 Media, discusses the alarming practice of airlines selling passenger flight data to Customs and Border Protection. He reveals how data brokers like the Airlines Reporting Corporation operate under secrecy, allowing government agencies access without transparency. The conversation highlights rising privacy concerns, the ethical dilemmas of data usage in law enforcement, and the urgent need for comprehensive federal privacy legislation. Listeners learn tips to protect their personal data when booking flights.
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Airlines Sell Flight Data Without Warrants
- Airlines sell your domestic flight data to U.S. government agencies without requiring warrants.
- This includes future travel intentions, making it highly valuable for intelligence and law enforcement.
Airlines Conceal Data Sales
- ARC specifically asked government to keep the data sale secret from the public.
- This secrecy suggests airlines knew public knowledge would be harmful.
Program Originates Post 9-11
- ARC's program to sell flight data to government began post 9-11 for security reasons.
- Despite decades passing, public only recently learned about this data sale.