News and Weather
Sunday 15 March, 2009

Travel plans 'to be tracked'

All travellers departing the UK will have their trip recorded on a database, according to reports.

Passengers leaving from every sea port, station or airport will have to give detailed personal information.

Cross-channel 'booze cruise' shoppers, weekend sailors and sea fishermen will be brought under the e-borders system, which will eventually record details of 250 million journeys every year.

The UK Border Agency is bringing in the checks gradually. It is understood that by the end of the year, 60 per cent of journeys made out of Britain will be affected.

Some 95 per cent of people leaving the country being subject to the plans by the end of 2010.

In most cases the information will be provided 24 hours ahead of travel and will then be stored on a Government database a decade.

The changes are part of Government plans to tighten border controls and increase security in face of international terrorism.

Phil Booth from privacy group NO2ID said: 'Your travel data is much more sensitive than you might think.

'Given that for obvious reasons we're encouraged not to put our home address on our luggage labels, and especially given the Government's appalling record on looking after our data, it just doesn't seem sensible for it to pass details like this and sensitive financial information around.'

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