[新聞] 美政府與航空公司就乘客數據收集一事衝突

[nyrnu (鼠年行大運)]

[媒體名稱]CNN          [新聞日期]2020/3/9
[網址]
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/09/politics/
coronavirus-airlines-white-house-tensions/index.html

[內文]
Trump administration clashes with airline officials over coronavirus

By Kylie Atwood, Gregory Wallace, Manu Raju and Nicole Gaouette, CNN
Updated 1316 GMT (2116 HKT) March 9, 2020

Washington (CNN)The US aviation industry and the Trump administration are in
a pitched battle over the response to the coronavirus pandemic, three sources
familiar with recent calls between officials from several government agencies
and US airlines have told CNN.

In a series of contentious conversations, agency officials and aviation
executives have clashed over the administration's demand that airlines
collect new kinds of data from passengers to help officials track potential
virus carriers.

Airlines say they can't meet that demand right away -- a claim some
administration officials say they don't believe, according to several sources
who tell CNN the calls have deteriorated so badly that agency officials have
issued threats, spat expletives and accused airline executives of lying. It
is an "epic battle," said one source familiar with the talks.

On one call, an administration official pointed to potential fines if the
airlines didn't comply, according to two sources. The Federal Register, where
proposed rules are published, laid out the new requirements for added data
collection and listed penalties that include fines as high as $500,000 as
well as jail time of up to a year.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials have even threatened
recommending that the administration try to ground planes in the US if they
can't get the passenger data, according to one source.

'Shock and disbelief'
The administration officials' vitriol has left airline officials in a state
of "shock and disbelief," one source said. Government officials have
displayed "a lot of ignorance about what is possible," the source said.
Others familiar with the talks contend the airlines seem to be acting
unreasonably by not providing the data more quickly.
Another factor adding to the friction is that the administration is
considering an advisory discouraging Americans from commercial air travel.
Airlines oppose this because of the body blow it would deal their industry,
according to four sources familiar with the discussions.
The battle over data is raging as the administration is coming under fire for
failing to move quickly or competently enough to protect Americans from a
virus that has already killed thousands worldwide and is beginning to hit the
US, with more than 500 people infected and 22 dead.

The anger and recrimination are fueled by the fact that for both the White
House and the airlines, CoVID19 -- the coronavirus that has infected about
108,000 people worldwide and killed around 3,500 in 93 countries -- poses a
profound threat.

The international aviation industry could face losses north of $100 billion
if the virus isn't contained soon, with revenues and ridership already
plummeting.

In the White House, President Donald Trump has seen stock markets sink, a
development that could undermine a central plank of his re-election campaign:
that his presidency has delivered a thriving economy.
On Friday, the White House signaled it could offer an olive branch and take
steps to ease the financial strain on US airlines by deferring taxes.
Airlines, concerned about complicated privacy issues the data collection may
pose, have tried to meet the administration halfway, proposing to develop an
app and website for data collection.

For now, though, tensions remain high as the two sides remain far apart as
both struggle to deal with the pandemic and the airlines brace for the fees
and other punitive measures the White House might implement starting March 14.
"If the focus is doing it exactly the way the administration wants, it will
be a long negotiation," said Washington Rep. Rick Larsen, the Democratic
chair of the House aviation subcommittee. The "airlines don't have all the
information the CDC wants," Larsen said.

The standoff over data goes back years, said one source, who added that the
CDC seems to be using the coronavirus outbreak to force airlines to agree to
its demands. The broader debate is about what role airlines should play in
determining if their passengers have been exposed to the disease.

This newest surge of friction began a few weeks ago, after the Presidential
proclamation in late January that essentially banned any foreign national
from entering the US if they had been to China within the previous two weeks.
In a series of calls, the administration told airlines they had to comply
with a directive to ask travelers if they had been to China within the past
48 hours. CDC had initially wanted passengers to answer 22 fields of
information but narrowed that to five questions about passengers' contact
info. They are particularly interested in recent visitors to China, Italy and
South Korea.

Aviation executives said they don't have the technology to do that digitally,
explaining it would take six months to make the necessary technical fixes.
They could, however, use paper, they said. An official from the Centers for
Disease Control accused the airlines of lying, according to two of the
sources, and of not stepping up to the plate, leaving the industry executives
reeling in shock.

The blowups between administration officials and the airlines have continued,
occurring more recently over the requirement that airlines collect more
passenger and crew data than they normally would, including email addresses,
phone numbers and addresses to help track potential coronavirus carriers.
The demand is a difficult one for airlines for technical reasons as well as
privacy issues, particularly in Europe.

But during conversations about the new data requirements, CDC officials made
a point of telling the airlines about $250,000 fines they would have to pay
if they do not start complying by mid-March. The Federal Register listing
that sets out the new requirements also notes that penalties could include
criminal charges and up to a year in jail.

Heated calls
Individual airlines often had security or IT officials on the calls to
explain technical issues as needed, but the calls got so heated at times that
airline representatives themselves piped up.

"There were several calls between the airlines and the US government about
this new data collection process, which was initiated in response to the
novel coronavirus outbreak," said a CDC spokesperson. "We understand that any
new process can be challenging to implement quickly, which is why the rule is
currently open for public comment. Airlines have been encouraged to provide
feedback through that public comment process."

The calls between airline executives and the agencies are set to pick up
before the March 14th deadline, though no date has been set.

Airlines for America told CNN that the airlines "appreciate the collaborative
dialogue with the US government to further our shared goal of protecting the
safety and well-being of all travelers, which is -- and will always be -- the
top priority of US carriers. We look forward to continuing to coordinate and
work collaboratively with the top leaders in the Administration and across
federal agencies to assess the best next steps."

Before the coronavirus outbreak, airlines were expected to share information
they had in their records. The new change means they must collect the
information the administration seeks. One airline official told CNN they now
feel under the gun to compile the data because the administration could ask
for it at any point.

Another industry official familiar with the calls said, "what may seem simple
in a world of apps and other things in which it seems like everyone has
information about you, it is not simple."

This industry official says it took the US aviation industry two years to
meet post-9/11 requirements, which also involved data collection.
Airlines are concerned that the Federal Register gives no clear end date on
the data collection and worry that the US government could continue forcing
them to collect it "for other purposes."

"It seems they want us to do this for forever and we are pushing back," the
first source familiar said. The airlines -- particularly their lawyers -- are
worried about what Customs and Border Protection officials will do with the
information.

They are also concerned about lawsuits from other countries, particularly
given European Union privacy restrictions. "The industry isn't interested in
creating a system that would get them in trouble with EU privacy rules," the
industry official said, adding that's been a problem for airlines before.

Better ways to trace passengers
Airlines asked the agency officials if the government would back them in the
event of lawsuits and were told the administration would offer no support,
according to the first source familiar. This source added that one US
official told aviation executives their privacy concerns were "bullshit"
because no country would push back on the collection of information given the
threat CoVID19 poses.

The White House was aware of the rising tensions on these calls when it
invited aviation CEOs to meet with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence
Wednesday last week in an attempt to resolve the data sharing issues,
according to third person familiar with events.
The White House meeting itself was not contentious, according to people
familiar with it.

Airlines for America offered Trump a counter proposal for collecting data,
telling him about an app and a website they are developing that would help
the CDC get information more quickly, the group's president said after the
meeting.

Nicholas Calio, the president and CEO of Airlines for America, said the
association felt there were "better ways to trace the passengers coming in"
from places with high rates of the coronavirus.
"We've contracted to have a mobile app and a website developed that everybody
would have to fill in that would go directly to the CDC with that information
and we're moving forward with that," he said.

The airline executives also used the opportunity to ask Trump and other White
House officials not to publicly discourage Americans from taking flights,
saying their businesses would be at risk if the government begins warning
against commercial air travel.

Airlines are already reeling, canceling planned routes due to declining
demand and projecting steep losses, with the International Air Transport
Association saying the outbreak could cost the industry as much as $113
billion worldwide.

Despite the potential economic blow, Trump dismissed the idea of a bailout
after the meeting last week. "Don't ask that question please, because they
haven't asked [for] that," Trump told a reporter. "I don't want you to give
them any ideas."

But White House officials are considering deferring taxes for industries hurt
by the coronavirus, including aviation, two people briefed on the discussions
said.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Friday the "measures that
would be targeted toward individuals or small businesses or perhaps some
industrial sectors. That's on the table... we are in the discussion and
planning phase."

CNN's Geneva Sands, Nikki Carvajal, Kevin Liptak and Jacqueline Howard
contributed to this report

[心得]
有興趣的可以看CNN報導的原文.

簡單說, 美國政府 白宮/CDC 要求航空公司增加收集旅客的旅行史數據,
如登機前48hrs 是否有去過(轉機)中國/韓國/義大利...等.

航空公司認為有其技術上的困難, 如真要做, 可勉強先以紙本詢問.
美國政府高層及CDC對航空公司推拖的答覆並不滿意,認為是在說謊.

個人推測,這應是要配合老美的APIS,希望航空公司收集旅客更多的航前旅行資訊,
對高風險旅客想要拒絕於境外. 不要產生更多的境外移入確診案例.

就算是美國人,不是可以隨心所欲機票買一買就可直衝回美國了.
有可能機場check-in 時,就被拒絕登機了.

台灣前幾天也有一位被註記為武漢台商的民眾,其實去年疫情產生前就去新加坡工作了.
結果要搭酷航從新加坡回台時,因有移民署的武漢台商註記結果被拒登機.
幸好後來提供離開中國/進新加坡的出入境資料後, 就取消註記/或給航空公司
ok to board 的註記才得以回台.

--
Sent from my Nokia 3310

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 118.161.79.236 (臺灣)
※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Aviation/M.1583762921.A.819.html
→ ganlinlowmo: 支那新聞
其實本來就是CNN新聞, 對岸有人簡要翻譯而已.
推 gregyeh: 這可是個有趣的問題,個人隱私與公眾利益的對決
→ gregyeh: 航前旅行資訊收集的好,可以阻絕病毒於境外,避免後續遺患
→ gregyeh: 但對某些人來說,可能視為對個人自由的侵害
其實各國包括台灣已開始如此. 高風險旅客只能從特定方式回國.

武漢台商是如此,鑽石公主號/至尊公主號幾乎也是如此(停靠奧克蘭港後至軍事基地檢疫).
不是手中有黑卡就可叫台直昇機過來遊輪甲板逕行離開.

當然也有少數國家輕忽,如鑽石公主號二採陰,日本政府說可以原地解散後,
以色列旅客搭機經伊斯坦堡回以色列,結果被確診,導致同機的台灣旅行團被包機返台.
噓 kamisaki: 據CNN報導卻用新浪網?
CNN連結不是都在上面了嗎?
推 court0043: 上面有CNN原文，新浪是純翻譯。
推 court0043: 另，航空公司主要怕是長久的(成本）及白宮另有目的。
→ bob2096tw: 以內容來看美國政府連發公文都沒有？這樣被打槍一點都
→ bob2096tw: 不奇怪吧
就說是美國政府與航空公司之間的爭論. 有何公文可看?
且本版又不是美國Federal Register.


小弟身為航空版之可能是貼英文新聞數量最多的No.1, 沒想到有鄉民說為何
不貼CNN (雖然本來就有附連結)的英文, 卻要貼新浪網 (網址還是com.tw+繁體中文)?
貼英文對我來說完全不是問題啊, 本來是體恤鄉民偏好中文閱讀,貼英文怕有人keywords
還要查字典. anyway, 那就從善如流改CNN英文.

有人回文說:
用常識判斷，美國政府或說任何政府有辦法從人名分辨哪個乘客有傳染病健康顧慮？

小弟相信可能是沒看CNN原文導致誤解之故. 不過原本的心得就有提到,這是美國政府
要進一步追查旅客在上飛機前的旅遊史/行蹤.

美國又是採用iAPIS, 不想讓某人上飛機的話, 在系統裡面很輕易的隨時可註記下去.
甚至連已通過的ESTA 也可臨時註銷 (背包客棧有苦主案例).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

此外武漢台商註記一事的新聞才2月底多家媒體報導, 在此幫忙回顧一下.

1. 防「散客」模式返台 移民署註記滯湖北1600台人/新頭殼新聞
https://newtalk.tw/news/view/2020-02-27/373220

2.武漢肺炎》防「散客」入境 移民署：註記1600滯湖北台人/自由時報
移民署今天指出，過去一年間，前往中國湖北滯留未歸的國民約有1600餘人，因應防疫需
要，移民署均已註記。
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/Taipei/breakingnews/3081848

3.移民署註記管制 滯湖北1235台人 不能自行搭機返台
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/paper/1354775

Note:不知貼新頭殼+自由 能否令某些鄉民覺得比較溫暖?

3.滯留武漢台人　蘇揆：一定要包機返台不能化整為零
http://www.bcc.com.tw/newsView.4032132

可能有些鄉民覺得政府唬濫,隨便說說而已. 肺炎板不就有人在湖北管制名單內,
要從新加坡返台卻因註記被管制而導致被航空公司拒絕登機.
後來經過澄清+申請,才得以上機回台.

事件發展如下:
https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/nCoV2019/M.1583400792.A.29D.html
https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/nCoV2019/M.1583671012.A.796.html
媒體報導: https://www.nownews.com/news/20200305/3970691/

APIS 配合政府的需求,本來就可以管制出境或入境.
疫情一旦有破口而爆發,那就是與國家安全息息相關了.

連即將出任美國白宮的幕僚長也都隔離了 (該不會這也要找出英文連結吧),
美軍也有人染疫了.
疫情如何影響到國家安全可能比想像中還重要.
※ 編輯: nyrnu (118.161.246.236 臺灣), 03/10/2020 19:20:37
推 court0043: 推！
推 chenyei: 推n大，專業鄉民
推 DSNT: 一開始就已經有貼 CNN 的連結了還在那裡挑骨頭，真的很無聊
推 aij: 反中反到腦都沒了很多人喔