Be careful about what you order to eat on that next plane trip abroad.
Europe and the U.S. have agreed to share information on airline passengers. While the U.S. has ramped up its invasion of privacy against all people of the world, the European Union had held out hope with strong privacy laws. That's no more.
To keep us safe, the airlines will now share passenger name records, which include your name, address, phone number and credit card information.
But don't worry, "some sensitive items, such as meal requests that could indicate a passenger's race or religion, will either not be transferred or will be filtered out by U.S. authorities." Phew! I was so worried that they'd learn I had the fruit plate. It's reassuring to know they only have enough information to commit identity theft and financial fraud instead.
Besides, it's not like they are going to photograph and fingerprint me when I enter the country.
Apparently, these privacy respecting folks realized that I am what I eat. There's little racial information to be gleaned from names and addresses. After all, "What's in a name?"
But enquiring minds really want to know: What did they eat on that plane trip over?