It's interesting that the EU is being blamed for this here. Check with your local MEP which countries are running bilateral agreements.

Personally, I think it's outrageous. There is no legal precedent for this and I would like to see proof of how this helps int'l travel.

Michael, Brussels,

the US have proven time and time again that they are not responsible enough to have this privelige.they have destroyed their own economy , dont let them destroy yours.

matt, sydney, australia

More evidence of Britain and the EU bending over to the most distasteful of requests from America...

We have seen it is never reciprocal, we give, they take but we never get anything in return as Americans are deemed to be superior to everyone even though its a nation built on the worlds dropouts

Ian Watson, Gillingham, United Kingdom

Combine this with new efforts to thwart 'counterfeit' goods (i.e. anything the IP lobby deems detrimental to their profits) by giving customs officials unlimited power to search, seize, and detain (you), and you are looking at dangerous circumstances every time you cross a border. Boycott US travel

bikey, New York, US

I would be interested to know whether the same agreement will allow British police to trawl through the bank accounts etc of Americans inside the US.

At a guess it will not.

John, Midlands, England

I am assuming this is a reciprocal agreement and we have similar access to the information about US citizens.

william Haines, northwood,

This is our data - we citizens, who are supposed to be represented by government. How dare the EU and the FO decline to discuss this subject. That is an arrogance beyond belief. Next will come access to our national identity card data and our dna data for any US official who has been 'authorised'.

Steve, London,

Once again the Dictatorship of the EU raises its evil, ugly head.

Americans have every right to protect their country & people. If they want extra information though, that should be via the individual governments of the people involved.
Another classic example of the EU Superstate, people!

Paul C, Harlow, England

Make sure they get Berlusconi's and Tony Blairs details, that will be enough to keep the fraud squad busy for years.

M Wilson, Bidache, france

So what? Let them have all the junk information they wish. The more they get flooded with raw data, the more they build gigantic databases and the less effective they are. In the last 5 years, for Iraq alone (15 million citizens), databases after databases resulted in a royal mess, nothing more...

RONNIE, PARIS, FRANCE

When do we get to vote to pull out of the E.U?

Ever day now all we where are how they strip us of our rights, thou are own government is doing a prity good job of that to these days in Orwellian Britain!

Mr W Jones, Liverpool, England

"...credit card transactions, internet browsing habits and travel histories..."

Why would any government have this information, which they do not need and to which they cannot ever be entitled?

Tom Welsh, Basingstoke,

Here beginneth the ratification of the 51st state of the U.S of A.

Richard, Leeds, U.K.

Be afraid. Be very afraid...

Arthur, Newcastle,

How can we be concerned on the one hand about the Irish voting against an EU constitution, and then allow the unelected EU officials to blithely give away our sovereignty?

I would be all for greater european integration if it didn't come with an authority responsible to nobody, opening my kimono.

Steve R, London, UK

If we had been more careful who we let into the UK (and The EU) and gave citizenship to allowing them to travel freely to the US under the Visa Waver Programme the US Homeland Security would not need to resort to such measures.

David Cartright, Birmingham, UK/US

The US are infamous for illegally using their intelligence services against legitimate competition; i.e EU defence companies,telecoms, aviation,biotech - and most recently internet betting companies. I guarantee they'll use these powers in the economic arena more than "counter-terrrism". Pathetic.

C Campbell, Glasgow, scotland

Lets not just point a finger at the USA, its all of our so called Democratic governments that have been going that way. From thousands of cameras to reading emails, to searching our bodies before travel, it seems to be the People who are suffereing most, not terrorists.

William, Atlanta, USA

George and his Daddy have sealed off what they have been up to during their time in power. Now Goerge wants all this information on EU citizens.
Once it is given, it will be trawled over by all sorts in the US, with no rights to those it is about. Tell him to get lost!

margie , victoria, australia

I assume the EU can look at all US data as well. Ah I forget we the EU are the enemy. Maybe the US should also look to home as well but lest I also forget they stick to their data privacy laws so maybe we should also. This has to be a 2 way street with equal access, but then who trusts anyone anyway

Paul, London, UK

It would that none of us have anything private anymore.What I do in my private life is my business not any one else's.It is my belief that the E U and the British government think they are nothing short of God's.Have they any wounder why loads of people want out of the E U.Give us PRIVACY THANK YOU

kEITH , Witney, U.K

The USA is sliding ever so smoothly into George's view of 1984 or something akin to prewar Germany,if you don't stop it now you will be issued your barcode tatoo that much sooner.

L.Shaw, Vancouver Island, Canada

How ironic that the nations of the EU are both collecting and dealing away information on its citizens that the American government DOES NOT collect on its own citizens, knowing full well it would bring rebellion! It is so nice to live among the Yanks who still resist such police state tactics.

Bob Evans, Anaheim, California

Never mind "European citizens"; what about British citizens? i.e., why is this not being handled at the national level?

Nicholas Keen, Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, USA

Alice tells Bob a secret, in confidence. Then he does a deal with Carol, to keep it "secret", and tells her Alice's secret. Breach of confidence?

If confidential, private, personal details are being disclosed to a foreign power (such as the US), then that's simply a breach of confidentiality.

Simon, Brentwood, UK

Well if an individual doesn't have the right to sue the US government for mis-use of personal information, then they can sue the EU as the ones who gave them the right to use that information.

Stephen, St. Ives, England

So firstly the British Government hands over sovereignty to Brussels who then hand it over to America. Great!

John, Yorkshire,