Posted on 01/31/2007 9:27:52 PM PST by Mark Felton
Euro MPs have expressed concern at the way the US is gathering information from EU citizens that may be used in identifying terrorism suspects.
The EU justice commissioner told MEPs that banks in several EU countries were unaware details of transactions were going to the US treasury.
Franco Frattini also said negotiations over a new EU-US deal on air passenger data would be "a real challenge".
The US has had access to data about European air passengers since 2004.
The BBC's Alix Kroeger in Brussels says MEPs are uneasy about the kind of personal data being transmitted to the US authorities and the uses to which the information is put.
An interim deal allowing the US to access information on trans-Atlantic air passengers expires in July. The EU has until February to decide a strategy and timeline for the negotiations.
"The right to privacy for me is non-negotiable. It has to be respected," Mr Frattini said.
Washington says access to international bank transactions and passenger records is key to its fight against terrorism.
Numeric score
Last year, it emerged that a private company, Swift, which handles up to 11 million money transfers a year, had been passing information to the US authorities in violation of EU privacy rules - a finding Swift disputes.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
It has begun. And the democrats are in Congress.
Too bad, there's a war on.
"Washington says access to international bank transactions and passenger records is key to its fight against terrorism."
Hmmmm....if they fly into our country....they live by OUR rules......course, the Dems will bow to whatever rules THEY WANT!
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