II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1206 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit aircraft from having 

in place cameras and microphones that can monitor passengers. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 11, 2019 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit aircraft 

from having in place cameras and microphones that can 

monitor passengers. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Passenger Privacy Pro5 tection Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITIONS RELATING TO CAMERAS AND 

2 MICROPHONES ON AIRCRAFT. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 417 of 

4 title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

5 end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 41725. PROHIBITIONS RELATING TO CAMERAS AND 

7 MICROPHONES ON AIRCRAFT. 

8 ‘‘(a) PROHIBITIONS.—The following rules shall apply 

9 to all aircraft of an air carrier and a foreign air carrier: 

10 ‘‘(1) Any in-flight entertainment system in11 stalled on the aircraft after the date of the enact12 ment of this section may not have an embedded 

13 camera or microphone. In the case where the air14 craft has, as of such date of enactment, a existing 

15 camera or microphone embedded in an in-flight en16 tertainment system, by not later than 2 months 

17 after such date of enactment— 

18 ‘‘(A) the camera shall be either— 

19 ‘‘(i) removed; 

20 ‘‘(ii) permanently disabled and cov21 ered; or 

22 ‘‘(iii) covered in a fashion that pre23 vents the camera from making any obser24 vation; and 

25 ‘‘(B) the microphone shall be either— 

26 ‘‘(i) removed; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) physically disconnected and cov2 ered in a fashion that renders the micro3 phone ineffective. 

4 ‘‘(2) Any camera or microphone that is de5 signed to observe a passenger and that is separate 

6 from an in-flight entertainment system may not be 

7 installed on the aircraft after the date of the enact8 ment of this section. Any such camera or micro9 phone that was installed on the aircraft prior to 

10 such date of enactment shall be removed within 2 

11 months of such date of enactment. 

12 ‘‘(b) CHANGES TO REMOTE SWITCHES NOT SUFFI13 CIENT.—Changes made by an air carrier or a foreign air 

14 carrier to remote switches of an in-flight entertainment 

15 system are not sufficient to meet the requirements of sub16 section (a)(1).’’. 

17 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap18 ter 417 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 

19 inserting after the item relating to section 41724 the fol20 lowing: 

‘‘41725. Prohibitions relating to cameras and microphones on aircraft.’’. 

21 SEC. 3. REQUIRING AUDITS OF AIRLINES REGARDING THE 

22 INFORMATION THEY COLLECT ON PAS23 SENGERS. 

24 The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Adminis25 tration shall periodically conduct audits of air carriers and 


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1 foreign air carriers (as such terms are defined in section 

2 40102 of title 49, United States Code) regarding the in3 formation the carrier collects with respect to passengers 

4 on its aircraft, including any information obtained through 

5 the physical surveillance of passengers. 

Æ 


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