Rein in unethical airline data sale for domestic surveillance

The sale of detailed domestic travel records by airlines to government agencies represents a major breach of privacy that must be urgently addressed. The contract obtained by 404 Media shows that airlines, through their data broker ARC, are selling the Department of Homeland Security access to millions of passenger records, including names, flight details, and financial information - all without the knowledge or consent of those individuals.   This bulk collection and exploitation of sensitive personal data raises serious civil liberties concerns. The government's bypassing of legal safeguards by purchasing data from brokers is an unacceptable overreach that circumvents vital oversight and accountability measures. Allowing law enforcement unfettered access to such comprehensive travel histories is a disturbing violation of Americans' reasonable expectation of privacy.   We call on Congress to launch a investigation into these practices and take decisive action to protect citizens from having their movements and transactions clandestinely monitored en masse. Domestic travel should not equate to surrendering one's privacy to the Department of Homeland Security.   The airlines' sale of customer records to the government is a flagrant betrayal of public trust that cannot go unchallenged. Robust safeguards must be implemented to rein in this surveillance overreach and preserve core civil liberties in the digital age. The public deserves answers and substantive reforms to prevent such abuses from continuing unabated.