The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been accused of accessing a massive database of American citizens’ travel records without obtaining a warrant, according to a letter signed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and shared with 404 Media. The report reveals that the IRS obtained flight data, including when and where individuals traveled, along with credit, card information, without legal authorization. The lawmakers, in a letter addressed to nine major airlines, have called for the shutdown of the data selling program that allows agencies to purchase travel data through the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), which is co-owned by the major airlines. The letter highlights that the IRS did not follow federal law or its own policies in acquiring the data and failed to conduct a legal review to determine if a warrant was required. ARC, the data broker co-owned by airlines, sells access to travel records to government agencies, enabling them to bypass traditional legal mechanisms. The lawmakers urge the airlines to terminate this commercial data selling program, with an update stating that ARC may have already planned to shut it down.
The data selling program has sparked a significant debate over privacy and government surveillance. Critics argue that the IRS and other agencies are exploiting a loophole by purchasing data from private entities, effectively bypassing the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unlawful search and seizure. This practice raises concerns about the potential misuse of personal data, as agencies could access sensitive information without judicial oversight. Lawmakers have emphasized that the sale of such data by airlines through ARC represents a serious breach of legal and ethical standards, as it permits agencies to circumvent traditional legal processes for data collection.
Following the release of the bipartisan letter, the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) responded with an update indicating that it may have already planned to discontinue the data selling program. This development has raised hopes among privacy advocates, although skepticism remains about whether the program will be permanently halted. The lawmakers have called on the airlines to take immediate action to shut down the program, underscoring the urgency of the issue. As the debate continues, the implications of this data access scandal could extend beyond privacy concerns, potentially reshaping the relationship between government agencies, private corporations, and American citizens’ rights.