Source: Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post ( Free Registration )

A European Union lawmaker who frequently travels to the United States is suing the U.S. government for access to her personal records, such as credit card information and travel history, that the Department of Homeland Security and other security agencies may have gathered.

The lawsuit to be filed today by Sophie in’t Veld, a Dutch member of parliament, comes as the United States and Europe are working on an agreement on privacy protections for transatlantic data-sharing. The pact would permit security agencies to obtain personal information for law-enforcement purposes. One sticking point, however, is the ability of European citizens to sue the U.S. government for access to information and redress if they think the data are inaccurate or have been misused.

In’t Veld said her case underscored the need for more explicit data-protection guarantees than those contemplated in the draft of the accord. It is also the first high-level legal test of Bush administration assurances that anyone may access his or her data under the Freedom of Information Act, privacy experts said. The law allows anyone, including non-citizens, to sue for access. But it provides no mechanism for correcting errors. 

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