Given the high rate of personal data collected by EU governments and the US government, it's likely that my sexual orientation is in the "shared database." Further, it's likely that my ex's name from the UK is listed in their database, along with my present foreign boyfriend's name.
Welcome to the Brave New World of the War on Terror!
Cheers,
Brian
Washington Post
27 July 07
Travelers Face Greater Use of Personal Data
Pact Covers Passengers Flying From Europe to U.S.
By Paul Lewis and Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writers
The United States and the European Union have agreed to expand a security
program that shares personal data about millions of U.S.-bound airline
passengers a year, potentially including information about a person's
race, ethnicity, religion and health.
Under the agreement, airlines flying from Europe to the United States are
required to provide data related to these matters to U.S. authorities if
it exists in their reservation systems. The deal allows Washington to
retain and use it only "where the life of a data subject or of others
could be imperiled or seriously impaired," such as in a counterterrorism
investigation.
According to the deal, the information that can be used in such
exceptional circumstances includes "racial or ethnic origin, political
opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership" and
data about an individual's health, traveling partners and sexual
orientation.
Read on:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072700159.html