The privacy commissioner has called on the government to mitigate the impact of the U.S. Secure Flight program. Beginning in December, the program will allow U.S. authorities to prevent suspicious passengers from boarding flights that cross U.S. airspace and will allow U.S. authorities to retain data on suspicious passengers for up to 99 years. Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart told a House of Commons committee yesterday that the government should fight for concessions to shorten the amount of time passenger data is kept on file. She added concerns that "information collected can be disclosed and used for purposes other than aviation security." Meanwhile, during a visit to Toronto this week, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chief Privacy Officer Mary Ellen Callahan discussed the intersection of security and privacy.
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