DOT to investigate data security and privacy practices of top US airlines

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced its first industry-wide review of major U.S. airlines’ data security and privacy practices to assess how passenger data is collected, monetized, shared, and protected, and to pursue enforcement where needed. The effort, aligned with broader federal privacy actions by the FTC, will involve questionnaires to airlines such as American, Delta, United, and others, and will draw on the expertise of Sen. Ron Wyden, reflecting concerns over data broker ecosystems and the sale of sensitive consumer information.