Lawmakers have expressed concerns about the IRS’s access to a massive database of American travel records without a warrant. An anonymous reader shared a report that reveals the IRS accessed data from the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), which sells access to travel information to government agencies. The report indicates that the IRS obtained this data without a legal process such as a warrant or court order, raising significant concerns about privacy and legal compliance.
The letter from bipartisan lawmakers, shared with 404 Media, highlights that the IRS did not follow federal law or its own policies in purchasing airline data. The report states that the IRS confirmed it did not conduct a legal review to determine if the purchase of travel data required a warrant. The lawmakers are urging the major airlines to shut down the data selling program, as the current system allows government agencies to access personal information without proper legal authorization.
The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) co-owns data with major airlines, including Delta, United Airlines, American Airlines, and Southwest. These airlines funnel customer records to ARC, which then sells access to travel data to government agencies. The IRS case is the clearest example of how agencies can bypass legal mechanisms by simply purchasing access to data from commercial sources. Despite this, the letter states that ARC already planned to shut down the program, raising questions about the future of data sharing between airlines and government agencies.
The report has sparked a broader discussion about privacy and the role of government agencies in accessing personal data. Critics argue that this practice undermines individual privacy rights and could lead to potential misuse of sensitive information. The lawmakers have called for reforms to ensure that government agencies must follow proper legal procedures when accessing personal data, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in data handling practices.