April 1, 2004

The EU is Having its Own TIA Moment

The terror attacks in Madrid, Spain that killed nearly 200 passengers on commuter trains has resulted in discussions to create a Europe-wide database of criminal records to screen for terrorist. The US and EU member nations have clashed repeatedly over American demands for access to the personal information of Europeans traveling to this country, which they say would only be used in passenger screening and terrorist profiling systems. In the past, some EU member nations and US administration officials have differed in their approach to the privacy rights of travelers and what is or is not necessary access to personal information for law enforcement and security purposes.

EU proposes terrorist database following Madrid bombings, USA Today, March 19, 2004