US, EU at Odds Over Air Passenger Data Protection, FTD Reports

The U.S. and the European Union are finding it hard to agree on collection of air passenger data, the Financial Times Deutschland reported.

The U.S. wants to collect data on anyone suspected of crimes carrying sentences of more than a year, and it wants to save the information for 15 to 20 years, the newspaper said.

The EU wants data to be handed over only in individual cases related to fighting terrorism or organized crime; it also wants to restrict the length of time data can be saved and the passing of information to third parties, the FTD said.

If no agreement can be reached, the U.S. would have to pursue accords with individual EU states, the newspaper said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ragnhild Kjetland in Frankfurt at rkjetland@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong in Berlin at kwong11@bloomberg.net