Passenger Name Record Data (Directive)

According to the Commission’s proposals “PNR data” of passengers travelling from or to third countries are to be collected by air carriers during the passengers’ flight booking procedure and must be transferred to Member States’ authorities. The Directive regulates data processing (collection, retention and analysis) through national authorities, the data exchange between Member States and the data transfer to third countries.

cepPolicyBrief

The random retention and processing of PNR data without given suspicion infringes the fundamental right to data protection due to its inappropriateness and in the form of a random dragnet investigation it also infringes the basic right to privacy of personal data. Moreover, the actual benefit for counter-crime and counter-terrorism is insignificant, as US experience has proven.