Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Representative Shontel Brown (D-OH) requested on Wednesday that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The lawmakers allege the department has failed to enforce privacy protections for airline passengers for more than 40 years. The GAO, a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, confirmed receipt of the request and is determining its response.
The request follows a March 2024 review initiated by then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg into how the 10 largest U.S. airlines collect and use passenger data. Lawmakers stated in their letter that two years later, it is unclear if a meaningful review occurred, noting that USDOT did not release airline responses, public findings, or enforcement actions. A spokesperson for current U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did not provide immediate comment.
The letter cited several instances of alleged data mishandling, including claims that the Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC)—an entity owned by major U.S. airlines—sold access to a database of 722 million passenger records to federal agencies without warrants. While the letter noted ARC ended this practice in November 2025, it highlighted a 2026 request from the Department of Homeland Security for a replacement surveillance system. Additionally, the lawmakers referenced a 2016 Justice Department audit finding that the Drug Enforcement Administration had paid airline employees for private passenger information.
For individual passengers, the outcome of this probe may lead to changes in how their travel history, contact information, and payment details are protected or shared. If the GAO finds that USDOT failed to act, it could result in new regulations defining the mishandling of consumer data as an unfair or deceptive practice. This would allow the government to pursue civil penalties against airlines, potentially altering how companies manage data in their daily operations and how much transparency they must provide to customers regarding data sales.
The request also highlights national security concerns, stating that airline data may be of interest to foreign adversaries. The knock-on effects could include tighter restrictions on how federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service access travel records. What happens next depends on the GAO's decision to open a formal investigation. While no specific deadline was reported, the GAO will first determine the scope of its response to the lawmakers' request.