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Travelport first GDS provider to be Safe Harbor certified

February 19, 2010 | Online Travel

Safe Harbor was developed by the European Commission, the Swiss government, and the US Department of Commerce to harmonize the differences between US and European laws on privacy and data protection.

Travelport, one of the world’s leading providers of global distribution systems (GDS), is the first GDS to have achieved compliance with the Safe Harbor privacy framework.

Safe Harbor was developed by the European Commission, the Swiss government, and the US Department of Commerce to harmonize the differences between US and European laws on privacy and data protection. Set up specifically for organizations transferring personal data to the US from Europe, participating companies are required to adhere to key principles aimed at ensuring sound privacy practices and preventing accidental information disclosure or loss.

As the only GDS provider to have achieved Safe Harbor compliance, Travelport has certified its GDS personal data processing following a lengthy preparation process. Certification will cover personal data about travellers that is entered in a Travelport GDS platform by a subscriber located in the EU or Switzerland and which is typically stored in passenger name records and passenger profiles. Tad Ostrowski, General Counsel for Travelport’s GDS division, who led the companywide certification process, said that Travelport wanted to support all organizations using its GDS technology in their own compliance with legal requirements for privacy and data protection.

“Although it was optional to apply for this certification and no other GDS provider has made this commitment before, we felt it was critical to demonstrate to customers using our GDS technology the seriousness with which we approach privacy and personal data issues,” said Ostrowski.

“We viewed this certification as an essential step in formally illustrating that dedication. How organizations protect personal data is of increasing global concern - for Travelport and its customers - and we’re certain this key achievement will be appreciated by our customers and give them added confidence of our commitment in this area,” added Ostrowski.

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