5 million jetBlue PNR's used for CAPPS-II testing

According to this February 2003 presentation at the National Defense
Industries Association - Tennesee Valley Chapter, CAPPS-II contractor
"Torch Concepts" (formerly "innoVerity") of Huntsville, AL
http://www.torchconcepts.com/tech.htm got 5 million jetBlue Airways
PNR's and has used them in CAPPS-II tests starting in September 2002:

http://www.ndia-tvc.org/SESEC/Presen...S3B3_Roark.pdf

Not surprisingly, there's *no* mention of privacy concerns, either
ethical or legal in the presentation. There's no indication that
reservations subject to the European Union data directive were
filtered out before jetBlue gave their passenger data to Torch
Concepts, or that any notice was given or consent obtained.

Passengers who made reservations on jetBlue form the EU, Australia,
Canada, or other countries with data protection laws may wish to
ask jetBlue for a copy of what information about them was turned
over, and to whom, and/or to complain to your national data
protection authorities. As with Delta Air Lines previous cooperation
with CAPPS-II testing, jetBlue was not and could not (yet) have been
ordered to turn over this data, and cannot rely on nonexistent
government "orders". They volunteered to be a CAPPS-II test platform.

In a story today in Wired News, the TSA reportedly denies that CAPPS-II
tests have been carried out with real passenger data. They may mean
that the TSA hasn't dirtied its hands with passenger data, or carried
out such tests itself. But CAPPS-II *contractors* have admitted doing so,
even if jetBlue will neither confirm or deny its participation.

More background information and related links:

http://hasbrouck.org/articles/travelprivacy.html

http://hasbrouck.org/articles/CAPPS-II.html

http://www.dontspyon.us

----------------
Edward Hasbrouck

http://hasbrouck.org

"The Practical Nomad Guide to the Online Travel Marketplace"
"The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World"
http://www.practicalnomad.com