A data broker owned by major U.S. airlines (ARC) is selling access to five billion ticketing records—names, full itineraries, and payment details—to agencies like the FBI, Secret Service, and ICE without warrants. The dataset spans 270+ carriers and 12,800 travel agencies, and ARC asked government buyers not to reveal the data’s source. Senator Ron Wyden cites this as proof Congress must close the ‘data broker loophole.’
— It shows how constitutional search limits can be sidestepped by buying sensitive travel data, forcing a policy decision on whether to regulate or ban warrantless government purchases of commercially brokered personal information.
by Corey G. Johnson
2025.09.25
50% relevant
Both cases show personal data moving through intermediaries to purposes the subjects didn’t expect: here, manufacturers and a trade group funnel warranty‑card data to political operatives without consent; in the prior idea, a broker sells travel data to government to avoid warrants. Each illustrates how third‑party data flows can sidestep privacy expectations and legal safeguards.
msmash
2025.09.15
100% relevant
404 Media’s reported contract detailing ARC’s five‑billion‑record feed and agency customers (FBI, Secret Service, ICE).
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