Press Release

For Immediate Release
20 February 2008

ACTE WARNS OF POTENTIAL FINGERPRINTING ABUSE FOR VISITORS TO EUROPE

Alexandria, Va. -- The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) sees the potential for abuse or compromise in a growing trend by governments to rely on higher levels of electronic surveillance to track the movement of suspected terrorists or criminals throughout the global transportation network. The association’s position was prompted by an announcement from the European Union (EU) last week, in which the governing body has proposed the fingerprinting of all non-Europeans entering the 27 countries of the region. ACTE’s leadership cites a possible intent for governments to share this data, or a situation in which the database could be hacked, as a threat to the privacy or identities of millions of international travelers.

“While it is the obligation and duty of any government to safeguard the security of its citizens, travel privacy and identity security must be part of that security equation,” Susan Gurley, ACTE Global Executive Director, said.

ACTE’s concerns were mirrored by privacy advocates opposed to the automatic sharing of biometric data between governments, and security specialists who oppose storing so much sensitive information in one place.

“Travelers to Europe might suddenly discover that their fingerprints or other data was being shared with other governments – even if they had no plans of visiting those particular nations,” Gurley added.  “ACTE believes that there may be no need to create or support this kind of third-party data sharing unless there are clear protocols in place to ensure the safety of the data.”

The fingerprinting requirement for the EU is still in the embryonic stages, as the governments of its 27 member countries now have to vote on it. Furthermore, it should be noted that civil rights groups and European privacy groups have already voiced strong opposition to this proposal and that many of the 27 EU countries, such as Belgium, have very strong privacy laws that specifically limit access to databases.

Business travel industry reaction to the EU announcement has been slow, considering the proposed 2013 implementation date. ACTE believes the lack of reaction is because the average traveler does not know about the proposal and, thus, is unaware of the possible policy change.

For more information about ACTE, please go to www.acte.org.

ABOUT ACTE:
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) represents the global business travel industry through its international advocacy efforts, executive level educational programs, and independent industry research. ACTE's membership consists of senior travel industry executives from 82 countries representing the €200 billion business travel industry. With the support of sponsors from every major segment of the business travel industry, ACTE develops and delivers educational programs in key business centers throughout the world. ACTE has representation in the following regions - Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and the United States.  For more information on ACTE, please go to www.acte.org.

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For more information, contact:
Debbie Flynn
CEO
Brighter Group
The Pod, London's Vertical Gateway
Bridges Wharf, Battersea
London SW11 3BE England
T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
E: [email protected]
W: www.brightergroup.com