US and EU officials today signed an anti-terrorism agreement for sharing passenger data on transatlantic flights, saying it provides adequate privacy protection to air passengers.
During the signing ceremony in Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, Irish Ambassador Noel Fahey and Gunter Burghardt, the EU ambassador, said the agreement was essential to guarding against terrorism.
"A global enemy requires a global response," Mr Ridge said. "It is an essential security measure that allows us to link information about known terrorists and serious criminals."
The officials said the deal will give legal certainty to European airlines, which faced the prospect of being fined on both sides of the Atlantic.
The data - called passenger name records, or PNR - includes credit card numbers and contact information. Sensitive items, such as meal requests, that could indicate a passenger's race or religion will either not be transferred or will be filtered out by US authorities, the officials said.
AP