NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Northwest Airlines faces a class-action lawsuit and potential civil penalties after the No. 4 U.S. carrier acknowledged that it provided passenger information to NASA, according to a published report Wednesday.

The suit, filed on behalf of Northwest passenger Eric Povitz, alleges that the company violated its own privacy policy as well as state and federal laws by giving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration data as part of a safety project, according to the Star Tribune.

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Northwest confirmed it shared passenger information after the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a non-profit group, obtained NASA and company documents through the Freedom of Information Act, the paper reported.

The privacy group has also filed a complaint against Northwest with the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to the Star Tribune.

The group said that the Transportation Department has the power to "prosecute cases regarding the unfair and deceptive practices of air carriers," which could also lead to civil penalties against Northwest, the paper reported.

In response to the Northwest complaint, the Transportation Department told the paper it would "review the complaint and determine what action if any, should be taken...the law does not prohibit airlines from providing or selling passenger information such as passenger lists."

Northwest (NWAC: Research, Estimates) said "by providing the passenger name record data directly to NASA, a federal agency with its own strict privacy protections, Northwest acted appropriately."