[Med-privacy] proposed CDC rule

[Peter Marshall]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proposed a rule that
would greatly expand the powers of the federal government to track and
quarantine individual travelers. The federal government, airline and
shipping industries would scrutinize travelers more closely.

The new rule, estimated to cost up to $865 million a year, would require
airline and shipping industries to gather passenger contact and health
information, maintain it electronically for at least 60 days, and
release it to the CDC within 12 hours of a request. The CDC would retain
the information for a year. The information gathered would include:
"permanent address, email address, passport information, traveling
companions or group, emergency contact information (including at  least
name of an alternate person or business and a phone number), phone
number(s) for  the passenger, itinerary, and other flight information."
According to the CDC, "[t]his set of data is greater than the set of
information currently collected by the airlines, [global distribution
systems], or travel agencies."


[EPIC]