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US Expands Airport Biometric Data Collection
athloi sends word of an expansion of the US-VISIT program that now requires two fingerprints from foreign visitors arriving at scores of airports. Beginning later this year the US will be testing a system that collects 10 digital fingerprints, at 10 major points of entry. A US Homeland Security director assured EU officials that the program would operate under strict privacy rules. But he noted that the FBI and CIA will have access to the biometric data, which over time may expand beyond fingerprints.
...but what does it accomplish, now all the baddies will just go through the 'non major' points of entry. please, the more things change the more they stay the same.
sigs suck
Beginning later this year the US will be testing a system that collects 10 digital fingerprints, at 10 major points of entry.
That sounds painful... Eeek.
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
Suicide bombers don't care if you take their fingerprints or not. This is just means to get rid of people with liberal thoughts. And to create a false sense of security for the Sheep.
Me, I think I'll just show them my middle finger(print). Twice, if they want, or as many times as they like, as a matter of fact :D
Hello! I'm a disaster waiting to happen!
I would seriously consider never coming to the USA again. It's not that I have a huge concern with collecting information about non-citizen civilians, but that I would not trust DHS in any way, especially when it comes to technology. But hey, at least the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Oversight game them a security grade of "D" this year. That's better than an "F" anyway :(
~cromar
Are these the strict privacy rules like the ones in the Valerie Plame case? Or the ones currently surrounding the office of the (non-executive) VP?
But seriously, if this could link into INTERPOL & other databases of fingerprints, this might actually be helpful for those who end up in those 10 ports of entry
All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction--Down.
"But he noted that the FBI and CIA will have access to the biometric data, which over time may expand beyond fingerprints."
Assprints.
It's really great that our airports are going to be secured against foreign visitors, but, as Andrew Stranger proved, we can't keep anyone with half a brain out of this country as our current security system exists, beefed up airports or not.
l ?id=065183f1-4240-407d-b27b-afc67a34cbf8&k=51026
For anyone interested, this is great reading:
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.htm
quote : "which over time may expand beyond fingerprints." What do they want in addition ? A retina scan ? a DNA sample ? WHAT FOR ?!?!? And why in the ninth hell, WE (the rest of the world) are not forcing the US to eat their own fudge at our frontier ? I find Brasil example to be a good one.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
It's nice to be overlooked at times like this.
Since US Customs agents are in most major Canadian airports, we're pre-screened and don't come through "international" arrival gates... so anyone boarding in Canada won't get checked.
Great job, security folks...
---
Book(n): Utensil used to pass time while waiting for the TV repairman
If they're dangerous enough to be on a "watch list" why aren't we arresting them when we catch them?
Oh, too dangerous to be allowed in
You've been rejected at this border point. Please try another border point for entry.
I'm sure that there are few on this thread that believe that this will help defeat terrorism. And I don't suppose it will improve the tourist trade very much either. I'm glad that America is the home of the brave; I cannot imagine what they might do if they were frightened...
Have a look at soylentnews.org for a different view
"It's really great that our airports are going to be secured against foreign visitors, but, as Andrew Stranger proved, we can't keep anyone with half a brain out of this country as our current security system exists, beefed up airports or not."
I'm surprised that the airlines aren't throwing more of a fit. All this security must be cutting into their bottom line.
If they ever did deploy it at all airports, seaports, and road border checkpoints, any terrorists on the watch list would just hire a "coyote" and be escorted across the southern border.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Foreign nationals will be required to fit a GPS tracking collar to their necks at points of entry...
Engineering is the art of compromise.
Since the terrorists wont be stupid enough to be fingerprinted, once we have everyone's fingerprints, those that are left MUST be the enemy! Brilliant!
What we need is biometric genetal scanning. At least then we would have something interesting to look at/avert your eyes from, while waiting to be humiliated ourselves.
"Doctor, it's not the voices I hear in MY head, but the voices I hear in YOUR head that really frighten me."
I work for a very large multi-national company. Not long ago I sat through a talk that was given by the head of our European operations. He said that US airport security is getting so bad that people outside the US are avoiding coming here at all costs! Apparently, we're losing some serious business and tourism money, just because of our bone-headed "security" rules.
Ten fingerprints? I know I wouldn't travel anywhere where one was required!
Anyway, it's just something to think about.
"A US Homeland Security director assured EU officials that the program would operate under strict privacy rules. But he noted that the FBI and CIA will have access to the biometric data, which over time may expand beyond fingerprints."
As past events have shown, the innocent have plenty to fear from this, even if they have nothing to hide.
False positives could really ruin your day.
On the other hand, if it were to happen, once a false positive ordeal is over, I suppose it could be rather lucrative, given the precident that has been set.
And this guy was a U.S. citizen. Imagine the result if you were a citizen of another country and subject to the same sort of mistake.
[_] "You can have my fingerprints when you pry them from my cold dead hands!"
[_] "I don't have any fingers, you insensitive clod."
[_] "Fingerprints? I'll give you the finger, all right ..."
[_] (prominently displaying copy of Hustler) "You really want to take my fingerprints? Do you know where my hands have just been?"
[_] "A...CHOO! Oops - do you have a hanky? The kids ain't gonna believe the size of this greener ..."
All this means is more people avoiding the US rather than submit to being treated like criminals unless proven otherwise.
Kevin Smith on Prince
A PHB probably said "Three fingers? Why only three fingers? Ten. Ten is better, it's more than three after all."
The system might be able to save 10 prints, but you only need 1 or 2 at most.
A couple of FYI's.
1. It's unlikely they'll store fingerprints. They typically store some kind of proprietary hash value of the fingerprint.
2. It's unlikely they'll make the authentication available to other agencies.
3. Interoperability with other countries is desired, but not likely as each system vendor makes certain that won't actually occur.
4. I will be very interested to find out if they actually get to a point where there are fingerprint readers in airports more than a couple of airports. The scale of the operation overwhelms current technology pretty quickly.
The time to be worried was long, long ago as most of your data has been collected by private agencies and sold to the government for decades now.
Got Trader Joe's? friendwich.com RSS feeds work now!
US's tourism accounts for 0.9% of GDP... that's nothing compared to china (5.4%), New Zealand (10%), Italy (12%), even Canada (2.5%) ... get the point? It is insignificant to the US, but critical to many other areas of the world ...
I quit my job to avoid traveling to US at the moment. Decided to save the space for terrorists on trans-atlantic flights ;)
If it wasn't for my in-laws, I'd be spending my vacations in more welcoming places, but I just have no choice.
while we're busy trying to keep out the tourists and business people, we're also trying to pass laws which allow those who entered illegally to stay!
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Given the brain-deadness of the U.S. population, you should fully expect Bushler and his gang to implement
biometric data collection on ALL proletariat LEAVING the U.S. on visits abroad.
Fuck Bush
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Oh wait, no fingers!?! GTF outta here..
No really, get out.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Really, how many international assocications are holding their meetings anywhere but the US precisely because of this nonsense?
Why is it so bad that the US is going to require fingerprints to gain access to our country? I'm a firm believer that in order to "defeat" terrorism, we need to prevent any attacks on US soil first and foremost. If that means limiting access to the US, then so be it.
All foreigners are treated as criminals - talk about a psycological weak nation in fear. Like a bodybuilder who has taken too many steriods and are affraid of anything, seeing ghosts everywere and in the end making him his own enemy. "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists", well that is a strange view on opposition coming from someone who belive he is defending democracy.. Why on earth do someone want to visit such a country?
It accomplishes even less than that. All the 9/11 terrorists had valid ID and weren't on watch lists.
But, of course, only if you look undesirable.
"Chertoff's plan to convert U.S. Visit to the [10 finger] standard comes after months of criticism from Congress, federal agencies and the media about incompatibilities between U.S. Visit's two fingerprints and the FBI's IAFIS criminal database, which uses 10 prints."
6 672-1.html
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/print/20_15/2
The first time I can to the US, I really had an unpleasant experience with the US Customs agent being very rude. I found the procedure very intimidating. I don't mind giving finderprints eyeprints, etc, but the sheer unfriendliness was really unsettling. It made me feel very unpleasant and unwelcome. Note that this was my first impression from the US, the US customs.
...when I was passing the border in April 2006, the device was broken. The customs agent just shook his head and told me to move on, after asking me what I was doing in the country. The answer "software engineer" was good enough apparently so that I did not have to wait in line for a different checkpoint.
So, no fingerprints of me in the US, which was a bit of a relief I may add. This new "improvement" will make me push even harder not even to go there - even if it means that my employer is "disappointed".
you don't see any terrorism in Suadi Arabia, oh wait ...
Who wants to bet that this database is being used entirely as a bargaining chip for trading intelligence with other countries? You let us bag some turrists: we give you a copy of our foreign national biometric database.
I'm a student from India. I've been studying physics here, first as an undergrad and now as PhD student. I've also had the privilege of traveling to a fair number of countries (with the family or for research) in my relatively short life. Let me share my fun experiences with the US-VISIT program.
You land at one of the big international airports, for me O'Hare or Logan (both of which will be on this extended program). You have your passport with visa, an I-20 from your school and a filled out I-94 card ready. There are several queues, usually about 3-4 dedicated to American citizens, and a comparable number for foreigners. There is typically a lot more of the latter than the former so the queues meant for American citizens are typically empty, while the remaining queues are long and winding. I've seen a few elderly people faint during the wait in the queue before. There isn't any place to sit, and no way to get water. They've already been on long flights - the one from Madras, India where I am from usually takes ~20+ hrs with layovers.
You wait inching forward, and eventually you get to the yellow line - make sure you stand behind the yellow line (if you have a toe over you will likely get screamed at) until the Immigration official deigns to examine your papers. Not you mind - they never look at you - only your papers.
They always ask you what your name and the purpose of your visit is (never mind its on all three documents you've given them). Eventually they ask for your fingerprint. Left index finger. Scanner doesn't register that right. Do it again. Right index finger. Now pose for your mugshot. Now its going to be all ten fingers. I'm waiting for the DNA sample requests. As an added bonus they can ask you to boot your laptop up to take a look at it (the poor dears look so very confused by a slackware based distro with fluxbox)
I can tell you what US-VISIT v2.0 won't do. It won't make you safer or stop threats to the US of A from crossing your border. It hasn't so far. If it had we'd have heard about it. Going from two fingerprints to ten won't do shit either. Where the evil terrorists somehow able to defeat a hash from just two fingerprints? Can you somehow identify me to a higher confidence level now that you have all ten fingerprints instead of two? Making it ten fingers still isn't going to help unless there is some database with a bunch of terrorists with the fingerprints on file to check against. With two you can prevent people coming in under a different name. Funny how many of the 9/11 terrorists had to do that...
With ten fingerprints you can share more with other countries and see who has been visiting nasty places like Afghanistan to go to those evil terrorist training camps except that no other country I've ever visited collected my fingerprints. Ever. Nor have they made me wait in long queues to get in either. Occasionally they've even smiled at me! When we went to Canada for an APS conference in 2003, the border guard never checked my passport or visa (there was another Indian, and a Nigerian in our van along with three Americans) and joked about not bringing too many mini-kegs back with us.
I can tell you the effect this will have - it will increase the length of those queues. It will annoy more people. People who want to do business here. People who are old and want to just see their family, and have to wait in a line for two damn hours to be welcomed to America by a surly immigration official. Those people will stop coming. If everyone stops coming you will be safer! Its going to cost you and me more money (I get to pay taxes here too) since most of these airports won't be able to handle the load if a large number of international flights get here around the same time and will need larger waiting areas. It will probably create some new jobs for people who want to be surly immigration officials. And its going to get some DHS official a pat on the back and a promotion for actively fighting the terrorists. Lets not kid ourselves - that is what its about.
Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.
I love how morons like you can't interpret numbers.
Perhaps the reason that the percentage (*hint*, *hint*) is so low compared to other countries is that, in a monetary sense, we have a lot more going on than most of the other countries listed. Go look up the absolute money taken in plus the import/export of each country.
After you do the math, you'll learn that you were talking out of your ass.
...to discourage people from traveling to the US and so reducing all that nasty, harmful air travel. Who knows, another few masterstrokes like this and the US might become carbon neutral in our lifetimes!
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
That's a pretty impressive feat - to arrive at multiple airports at the same time. Generally humans can only arrive in one place at a time. Have the evil terrorists developed some sort of cloning, or is this more of a space-time wormhole type deal? The authorities should probably start looking out for blue police boxes making funny "wooga wooga" sounds.
... and then they built the supercollider.
FYI, this was introduced at the US Embassy in Copenhagen early June 2007; for the visa interview they now scan four fingers (not just the finger tips) at once on each hand and the each of the thumbs.
I only had 9 fingers? Would I be able to come to the US??
I've seen some interesting requirements from various systems in my time, sometimes they're a bit hard-wired too. What happens if the person in question only has 9 fingers (accidents do happens, and finger-severing ones tend to be not that uncommon). Are they blocked out when the system absolutely requires ten fingers, or do they have to acquiesce to some other form of identification/searches/etc?
Thats what we get for being stupid.
I guess they got tired of initially being presented with the left and right middle fingers all the time.
and the Mafia will continue to provide airport services around the country.
Once I was a four stone apology. Now I am two separate gorillas.
American government have much to worry about, since its total trade deficit and very weak currency, that is artificially propped up. Seeing this from perspective of economy, it may well be that government is preparing for a big one. Once the economy collapses and all the crooks of the white house and other hight governmental circles are exposed, with economy dead - people will take revenge.
Oil will get only more expensive, with weak currency, US might not afford the oil anymore.
Just a thought, It may well be all false.
I apologize in advance for the subsequent stream of obscenities, but I'm a lifelong Republican who feels eminently betrayed by his own party and the leaders of the conservative movement.
To start : Open the borders and make airports cool again. Tear down all the scanners and let people walk through the gates to see planes take off. Quit worrying that someone might blow up this or that and start focusing on making money. There are no terrorists hiding under your goddamn bed, so you can quit shitting in it every time you see the lights flicker. If you need big daddy government to make yourself feel safe, then you have no business calling yourself a Republican. Every Republican should stand up and demand that these pussies that co-opt our party be held to account. Conservatism is supposed to mean taking things in perspective, even in supposedly dire circumstances, with a confidence to handle your own affairs. There has been absolutely no perspective in this war, just overreaching knee jerk reactions like a woman burning down her house to get a mouse. Tell Anne Coulter that if she has to have this war on terror to feel safe, she ought to get back in the fucking kitchen and start making dinner like a good Republican dike is supposed to do.
The leaders of this conservative movement have completely failed, and I'm almost disgusted with myself that I even used to listen to the likes of Rush. "Oh, the terrorists are going to get us." Dude, I bench almost 300lbs. Bring that old f--- Bin Laden on, and I'll punch him in his fucked up kidney and that will be the end of him. Swagger, that's how you fight these people. Arrogant faith in freedom and delighting in our consumer lifestyle. This introspective, fearful war on terror is the most profoundly un-American response to any crisis that I have seen in my lifetime. Americans are not supposed to be afraid of anything, and here we are crying like a bunch of pansies because of some dude with a beard. Death! We all have to go. Get over it. If you believed in God as much as you said you do, you would not be afraid to die for freedom yourself, by the way, like you ask our soldiers to do.
I thought we already proved with the Cold War that backwards ideologies bring themselves down and that all we need to do is focus on making money to win. All of this crap that we hear about terrorists plotting this or that is the same shit we heard before about Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and more... (fill in the blank) secret agents are plotting to destroy the USA. Get off the Oxy, quit dreaming up conspiracies, and walk down the street confident that you can kick some terrorist ass or die trying if it comes down to it. I'd rather worry about the occasional arab that might look suspicious than every camera that surely is. I'm not afraid of no islamist, and neither should you be.
This is my sig.
I get searched, letters opened, computer turned on every fucking time I land in MY FUCKING COUNTRY and every occasion when I say I believe what you are doing is UNAMERICAN and violates my civil liberites, they just turn to me and say " you dont have any rights. See that line? That is America and I DECIDE if you enter or not." My friends who have to go through that process and spend lots of money just to come and visit this place (usa) pay fees and fill out the paper work. Why on gods earth then those who fuckign broke the law, cross the boarders are now offered amnesty? Why the fuck a "terrorist" would use that fucking TSA entry point, when he or she can come through the unchecked US/Mexico border? What the fuck we lose all the RIGHTs as US citezen and treated as criminals while those who dont use the door, get sympathy and benefits? This is so fucking stupid. What is the purpose of heavily guarded iron door when the house is missing the whole back wall?
Fuck this and fuck this terrorism shit. i rather believe the hype over fuckign global bullshit warming as at least we will get more benefit and NOT lose our rights. Fuck the republican party, and I am ashamed of you. I am a Republican and I believe in Reagan (yeah he died, he sucks u think) but at least he was competent (at least for the 6 out of 8 years). I am voting the whole independent and anti-illegal immigration ticket. FUCk YOU u FUCKIng REPUBLICAN sHIts. You get no money from me, you fucking whores.
Don't worry the second superpower will keep the US in line.
I was browsing through some frequent flyer forums to get the lowdown on the latest regulations regarding the carriage of dihydrogen monoxide on planes when I came across a link to this beautiful nugget:
"Transportation Security Operations Center Re-Named Freedom Center"
On June 21, TSA's primary operational hub was re-named the Freedom Center, symbolizing the agency's commitment to protecting the nation's transportation systems against terrorist threats...
I can think of 7 points of entry (nostrils, ears, mouth..). How are they going to make another 3?
Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
Anyone who really wants to get into the country need only sail up to either the pacific or atlantic coast somewhere and jump overboard.
AMPUTEES!!!! I consider it an invasion of privacy for the government to track where I go. Whats next RFIDS? oh wait wrong article.
I went to SeaWorld last year and they want you to put your hand on a scanner just to get into the park! You can't even go to an amusement park in the US without getting fingerprinted. WTF?!!!
It should seriously be against the law for companies to collect biometric data on citizens.
Oh wait, the government is run by the companies, my bad...
No references to Gattaca. Remember the scene that showed every single person who worked had to stick their thumb on and automatic pricking machine so it could verify their dna and identity?
You're nothing; like me.
Requiring 10 fingerprints means practically that 30% of carpenters worldwide will be denied entry... (provided that 10 prints of the same finger won't do)...
-- The Online Photo Editor - http://www.phixr.com
I really wish to see a scientific study on that. Maybe common sense is wrong like in many case, but it certainly dictate to me that people being forced in a stresful situation like waiting 2 hours to be finger printed will be nervous in average, whereas a terrorist will KNOW ina dvance that it is made to detect his own nervousity and will simply fight it (chemically or by training) to be below the level. I predict that since the system is known, it will never catch any terrorist due to their nervousity. It might catch a lot of average citizen (false negative) and when your false negative overwhelm your positive... Then it is more than useless.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
Why the hysteria? Americans are xenophobic. But its tourists and business travellers, not terrorists and criminals, that bear the brunt. Or labourers in the underground economy.
As part of an orchestrated strategy, major entry points in the US, formerly welcome centers and comfort stations, have become interrogation and detention centers. Deaths in immigrant detention centers have raised questions by Amnesty International (yet, again). America is prison-happy, and prisons are big business. Since 2003, it's been deemed expedient to incarcerate (rather than deport or parole) aliens refused entry for any of a number of trivial reasons, including misdemeanour offenses and undisclosed, unspecified offenses.
I would not lightly enter the United States, any sooner than I'd enter Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Turkmenistan, or anywhere else than doesn't respect the rights of aliens. I honestly feel safer visiting China, Turkey or, Indonesia, than the US these days. That's a sad comment on the hospitality of the place that invented Disneyland (and then franchised it into Disneyworld, Eurodisney, yawn). Above and beyond any urge I have to boycott the US, I wouldn't feel safe arriving in the Kafka-esque, post-2001 Bush era United States.
Is antiamericanism real, rampant and does it have costs? Yes, yes, and yes. I don't just mean tourism. Failing to address international reaction to its unilateral and criminal adventuring costs the US hard-to-replace political capital. Soft power (cash) is still flowing for the moment, but Asia might one day cancel the blank check it underwrites through treasury debt. That inevitably redressing of the balance of trade and a slowing economy from now until probably 2010 will mean a lot less good news for the US.
American companies and media are taking an image soaking abroad, as well. Major brands from McDonald's to Coca-cola that are too closely ties to Uncle Sam are in retreat, not just in foreign markets, but at home. Americans are increasingly anti-american, many starting to identify with parental and grandparental ties to other nations.
But many are just reacting on a personal level to the perception that the United States is anti-people, real evil empire stuff. How that plays out, remains to be seen.
We have friendly borders, in fact, a lot of entry points are only guarded in daytime. At night, they are left unattended so you would just have to leave a note at the border post explaning why you crossed. We also have several point of entries accessible through the open oceans, Artic, Pacific and Atlantic so you can freely sail within our country without getting bothered by border agents (we only have a few anyway, maybe 5 or 6).
We also have great tourist attractions that you will never find in the US :
-Gay marriage
-Grass smoking cofee-shop like in Amsterdam.
-etc.
See you all soon in Canada !
1. We may and will share the data with whatever government or corporate entity we want.
2. We won't tell you whom we've shared your data with - that's private.
3. In case of unintentional sharing of your data, see #2.
It reminds me of the landing card q/a you have to fill out. Including:
"Are you a part of any known terrorist organisation? [y/n]"
"Do you intend to participate in illegal or immoral activities in the US? [y/n]"
Needless to say, I had every intention of participating in immoral activities in the US.
throw new NoSignatureException();
Yes sir I did, and again in '04. He's a great man isn't he?
I long for the old school republicans!
I am a british citizen, and as such I like my liberty (not that we have much left either but hey ho!)
The GF wants to go to Disneyland. I have been there before, years ago, it was good!
However I do not want some foreign nation to have all my biodata. Therefore I will be voting with my wallet. I was going to book us a trip to Disneyland but now I don't think I will. I am also aware of the grasping nature of disney, but I can't force my opinions on my GF just to keep the moral high ground.
I'll just go to france and go to Euro Disney. Ok its not the same, but its closer, cheaper, and no giving up my freedoms or indeed biometric markers.
This means that although Disney will not loose money (it all flows back to Disney in some form) the surrounding people and businesses will not get my money, so they are a few hundred short on what they could have made. Now I am only one person, but imagine if 10,000 people felt the same way. Thats a lot of money that is NOT flowing into the US economy. That makes your economy even poorer. Did it increase security by getting my biodata, doubt it a lot!
The American government needs to understand this is not the way to increase either global relations OR tourism. One hand is saying oh come to america, its great, its fun. The other is saying come over here and the bover boys in the uniforms will make you give them anything they want, in the name of security.
At the end of the day, America has to wake up to itself and realise it is being left behind. It has an obsession with *total* control of its drones, sorry, citizens.
http://www.writeitfor.us - Writing IT for the IT generation.
Would anyone be able to clarify if this also applies to people making connecting flights to other, non-us, destinations? I'll be flying to Mexico in a few months and I believe I will have to transfer in Dallas, TX.
As an Englishman, I must say that, although the united states has some great places and great people, the collective attitude does nothing but inspire me NOT to return.
Biomech
I don't expect any big drop in foreign visitors.
Personally, I've already had it with US rules. Having 2 fingerprints taken makes me feel like a criminal. Sure, I was invited to visit Seattle by Microsoft ("Now you've got 2 reasons to post as AC") but MS is off the hook right?
I don't think I would have felt any more a criminal if 10 prints were taken. The only real effect is that the queues are going to be even longer. But that too is just a small increase in unfriendliness.
Even so, the word of mounth continues spreading. Tourists will still come, like they did in Soviet Russia, because there are always some who don't mind being treated like a spy. It's just not a big number.
In Soviet US, state visits you.
I made up my mind long ago. I refuse to be treated like a criminal and have my fingerprints taken. I'm not a criminal so don't treat me like that.
I think it's time to oppose this nonsence ^H^H^H play along and take pictures, fingerprints, bloodsamples and do cavitysearches for all trans-atlantic flights. The ones coming FROM the land formerly known as the land of the free.
Privacy is terrorism.
Most of the reactions on this topic say the same thing and I think it's a shame.
I'm sure there are a lot of reasonable people living in the US and there are many nice and interesting places to visit, but the fact remains people are avoiding the US for these things and actually I'm quite afraid the EU will follow. We already have a digital picture in our passport and more will follow (but nothing a microwave can't fix)...
Privacy is terrorism.