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New documents obtained from Freedom of Information Act requests shows U.S. Customs and Border Protection purchased flyer data from Airlines Reporting Corporation, claiming the information is important to national security.
If you’ve flown aboard an airline since June 2024, your flight information may have been purchased by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
404 Media reports the law enforcement agency purchased data from Airlines Reporting Corporation at a price of $11,025, with the flyer data company asking CBP to not identify them as the data source.
Data Purchased to “Track People of Interest” Flying in the United States
The information was revealed after 404 Media made Freedom of Information Act requests from the federal government regarding their dealings with ARC. The documents have not been independently reviewed by FlyerTalk.
According to 404 Media, selling flyer data to CBP and other federal agencies is part of the larger Travel Intelligence Program, or TIP. In a previous statement to media, ARC said TIP was created in the wake of the September 11 attacks “to provide certain data to law enforcement… for the purpose of national security matters.”
Under the deal with CBP, ARC would agree to sell TIP data to CBP for $11,025, with options to extend the contract through 2029. 404 Media reported that CBP provided an additional $6,847.50 payment to ARC to exercise “Option Year 1.”
While the documents did not detail exactly what data was collected by federal officials, a privacy impact assessment obtained by 404 Media shows TIP data has daily updates with ticket sales, and can include flyer’s names, credit cards, and airlines they are traveling on. A statement of work obtained by 404 Media states that CBP purchased TIP data “to support federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify persons of interest’s U.S. domestic air travel ticketing information.” Moreover, the agreement stipulated that CBP did not identify ARC as the source of the procured data.
ARC or their member airlines have not provided a public statement on the documents. In a statement to 404 Media, a CBP spokesperson defended the purchase policy as one necessary to protect the public against illegal activity, while protecting their data.
“CBP is committed to protecting individuals’ privacy during the execution of its mission to protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and enhance the nation’s economic prosperity,” the statement to 404 Media reads. “CBP follows a robust privacy policy as we protect the homeland through the air, land and maritime environments against illegal entry, illicit activity or other threats to national sovereignty and economic security.”
