No retention of passenger data

No retention of passenger data

After 2001 the U.S. had closed  bilateral agreements with several states over the sharing of travel data to verify these before the arrival of the travelers on suspicion of terrorism. Since last winter, the EU plans to build their own PNR database too, even with the option required from the UK to expand this unspeakable practice to rail and sea travel.

Neither the U.S. nor the European Commission have been able to make clear that the entire measure is necessary at all. Such an area-wide encroachment on fundamental rights at all may only be made %u200B%u200Bif it is proved that it was a necessary and proportionate measure within a democratic society.

The stored data will be matched against various databases of the EU and its Member States and also will be rasterized "in accordance with pre-determined criteria". Automated rastering bears the risk of wrong decisions and judgments, which has serious consequences for those affected by.

It is to criticize:

• The benefits of this measure are doubtful.
• It is possible to draw conclusions on the private life of people.
• A computer search and decision on data, is prohibited by the Constitutional Court in Germany.
• The project is a data retention (Vorratsdatenspeicherung), which is illegal in Germany stated by the Constitutional Court.
•  The correctness of the data is not detectable.
•  It therefore will be expected that mistakes will occur.
•  The basic right to the freedom of movement will be restricted by this measure.

Also the EU Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx, has called for extensive improvements to the EU Commission. In his view the collection and processing of airline passenger data should "significantly be restricted". Even the German Federal Council sees "significant concerns" about the draft directive.

Aktion Freiheit statt Angst e.V. (Registered Association Freedom Not Fear, Germany) repeatedly has warned that all mass data matching and statistical methods rises the threat of false accusations. The more data are gathered and linked, the more people are wrongly advised in the crosshairs, while the real criminals will get the chance to escape this grid. The U.S. security expert Bruse Schneier has shown this very impressive with the example of the U.S. no-fly list.
See Bruce Schneier, 25.08.2004: "U.S. 'No Fly' List curtail Liberties"
and Wikipedia (EN) - No Fly List

In conclusion, Aktion Freiheit statt Angst e.V. (Registered Association Freedom Not Fear, Germany) states that measure as another additional building block to more surveillance and will not increase the high level of security within the EU.

We, the undersigned, pledge to the EU Parliament and the Commision that the storing of any passenger data and its analysis must necessarily be prevented!