After a bit of haggling on both sides, the U.S. and the EU seem to have reached an agreement on a new joint policy involving passenger data sharing. Both sides see the new agreement as a step forward in fighting terrorism. While passenger data sharing agreements have been in place between the U.S. and EU, the new policy (which will replace an interim agreement that expires at the end of this month) calls for less data to be shared, but allows the U.S. to hold onto that data for longer periods of time. Now, the United States can keep information such as passengers’ names, credit card numbers, seat numbers, and addresses for up to 15 years. However, after seven years, strict rules are put in place to limit access to what is considered dormant data.

Both sides report to be pleased, with the EU seeing this as a better compromise between security and privacy than data sharing policies of the past. For instance, any information that might reveal race, religion, political affiliation, or sexual preference would automatically be deleted, unless it was believed that that information could save the passengers life or the lives of others.

I’ll keep you informed as this policy goes into effect.