IHT: U.S. Homeland Security Secretary seeks EU parliament accord on passenger data transfers

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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary seeks EU parliament accord on passenger data transfers

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will try to convince European Union parliamentarians on Monday that data gathered about airline passengers arriving in the United States which he says can be crucial to prevent terror attacks.

A maximum of 34 pieces of data — such as passenger names, addresses, seat numbers, and credit card and travel details — are transferred to U.S. authorities within 15 minutes of a flight's departure for the United States."Some in the U.S. seem to be thinking that the legitimate goal to fight terrorism justifies all means, but many people in the EU appear to think the contrary," Greek EU parliamentarian Stavros Lambrinidis said at a recent hearing on passenger data in the European Parliament.