Justice Wants Airline ID Case Kept Secret
623441
The U.S. Department of Justice has asked an appellate court to keep its arguments secret for a case in which privacy advocate John Gilmore is challenging federal requirements to show identification before boarding an airplane.
450932
An appeals court ruled that the Justice Department must share information on GuantÃ¡namo detainees who are challenging their detention.
234169
The Justice Department is being asked to investigate new Northwest Airlines fees that added $7.50 to the cost of a round-trip ticket purchased through systems used by travel agents.
232425
A Texas judge orders an ISP to reveal the identity of the operator of a blog that is criticizing a health care operator.
566809
The Transportation Security Administration will compare the information against the names in its terrorist -screening database. By Larry Greenemeier.
712307
The American Civil Liberties Union said on Wednesday it is suing a unit of plane maker and defense contractor Boeing Co. for providing flight services to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency as it secretly flew abducted foreigners to overseas prisons where they were held and interrogated.
383245
(InfoWorld) - The U.S. may be willing to give some ground in a dispute with European regulators over access to trans-Atlantic passenger data, although reaching a compromise before a July deadline remains uncertain. The issue of how long the U.S. holds onto passenger data has been one of the sticking points in the dispute, which threatens airlines' ability to carry passengers to the U.S. without violating U.S. or European law. "I anticipate that there may well be a decrease, and perhaps even a significant decrease, in the amount of time [the passenger data] is retained," said Hugo Teufel III, chief privacy officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in a meeting with journalists in Paris on Thursday. The U.S. requires airlines to hand over 34 facts about each passenger traveling from Europe, including where and how their airline ticket was purchased. The U.S. says it needs the information to help identify terrorism suspects, but some European regulators have fiercely opposed sharing their citizens' data, citing concerns about privacy. A 2004 agreement on the matter was struck down by the European Court of Justice earlier this year, and an interim agreement will expire on July 31. If a new accord isn't reached before then over the "passenger name records" (PNRs), airlines face being sued in Europe for sharing the data, or being denied landing permission in the U.S. if they do not. "I believe that there will very likely be increased privacy protections with respect to the PNR data," Teufel said on Thursday. "Whether it happens before the end of July or after the end of July is very difficult to say." He cautioned that he is not directly involved in the discussions, and would not elaborate on what the increased privacy protections might be. It was unclear if the concessions had been communicated to the European Union or would prompt it to ease its position. European parliamentarians have also expressed other concerns with the PNR system, including the amount of data being collected and the ways it will be used. A spokesman for Franco Frattini, the E.U.'s commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, said it would be inappropriate to comment on Teufel's remarks while the talks are ongoing. "We are in the midst of negotiations," the spokesman said via e-mail. Teufel is a political appointee responsible for privacy policies at the Department of Homeland Security. He was in Europe to meet with privacy representatives in France and Germany to gather feedback and smooth relations between the two sides. He sought to dispel what he characterized as misinformation about the PNR system. The U.S. does not ask about meal choices to identify potential Muslim travelers, he said, calling that "absolutely false." Asked if credit card data is collected, he said: "To my knowledge the department is not pushing for that." He acknowledged theÂ divisions between U.S. and European attitudes to privacy. "I think Europeans are beginning to have a better understanding of U.S. privacy and U.S. privacy laws. I don't think Europeans as a whole have a sufficient understanding now," he said. "I am not surprised when I hear from a European their often-held view that the U.S. has no privacy laws. That's just false. We do have privacy laws, we care about privacy. What we do have is a different approach to privacy and a different approach to government."
537748
Prosecutors are seeking to admit  evidence of Michael Jackson's "prior sexual offenses" in his  trial for child molestation, but the nature of the material was  kept secret by the judge.
601648
The federal government's latest attempt to improve security checks of airline passengers is prompting privacy concerns here and abroad.
90502
Parts of a trial of a man accused of murdering an elderly author will be held in secret on national security grounds.
351209
Prosecutors are seeking to admit evidence of Michael Jackson&#39;s &quot;prior sexual offenses&quot; in his trial for child molestation, but the nature of the material was kept secret by the judge.
14215
The Justice Department is investigating Joe L. Allbritton's extensive personal use of the Gulfstream jet and other company assets during and after his time as chief executive of the company.
662979
Defense attorneys argued that Kobe Bryant's statements to investigators after the NBA star was accused of rape last summer should be kept secret because it is not yet certain they will be used in his trial.
474601
Claiming national security concerns, and backed by Justice Department special counsel, the phone provider argues in federal court that a lawsuit against it for ponying up millions of phone records for a secret government data-mining program should be dismissed. Ryan Singel reports from the courthouse.
399690
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday that an Indiana law on voter identification prevented voters from having their ballots counted.
333472
The Transportation Security Administration announced on Tuesday that it will order domestic airlines to turn over personal information about passengers to test a system that will compare their names to those on terrorist watch lists.
201514
The U.S. government unveiled plans  on Thursday for a revised computer-based program using personal  information to identify airline passengers who may pose a  threat to air travel.