The IRS Accessed Americans’ Flight Data Without Warrant, Lawmakers Condemn
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has reportedly accessed a massive database containing hundreds of millions of Americans’ flight records without a warrant, according to a bipartisan letter to major airlines. The letter, shared with media outlets, details how the IRS obtained travel data—detailing when and where individuals flew, along with credit card information—without legal authorization. The data was sourced through the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), a data broker co-owned by airlines such as Delta, United, American, and Southwest.
Lawmakers are condemning the practice, with the bipartisan letter emphasizing that federal agencies can legally purchase travel data without judicial oversight. The letter warns that this creates a loophole where government agencies can access sensitive personal data without warrants or court orders. The lawmakers are urging the airlines to shut down the data-selling program, which they claim lacks transparency and oversight.
The letter outlines that the IRS confirmed it did not follow federal law and its own policies when purchasing airline data from ARC. It states that the agency ‘confirmed that it did not conduct a legal review to determine if the purchase of Americans’ travel data requires a warrant.’ The lawmakers are calling for stricter regulations, ensuring that such data cannot be accessed without legal justification.
Following the release of the letter, ARC announced its intention to phase out the program. This development has sparked debate over privacy rights and data security across the U.S., as the issue raises broader concerns about government surveillance and the commodification of personal information.