Privacy concerns surrounding an agreement between Canada and the European Union to share airline passenger data was the topic of an EU Court hearing on Tuesday, The Star reports. The Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union heard arguments for and against the agreement, centering on the retention and sharing of passenger name records, including names, travel dates, and contact details, in order to help identify potential terrorist threats. Countries such as Ireland and France do not believe PNR allows investigators to have details of an individual’s private life. The European Parliament and privacy advocates aren’t convinced, with CJEU lead judge Thomas von Danwitz unsure of the agreement’s privacy safeguards. "No one tells me that these data are transferred to Canada and no one tells me why they are transferred to Canada," von Danwitz said.
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