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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.
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 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.
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...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".
- Anus
- Urethra
- Right ear
- Left ear
- Mouth
- Right tear canal
- Left tear canal
- Right nostril
- Left nostril
- Brain access hole
You don't have a brain access hole? Don't worry, trepanation will soon be required for entry at US airports.Vagina not on the list of major ports of entry? That would be sexual harassment, someone might get upset!
True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
I even avoid long flights that have a connection there, simply because a lot of euro travellers I know have been hassled by the security drones to the point of missing their flight.
I'll probably reconsider in a few years when this lunacy is behind us, but for now, South America, the rest of Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Africa offer lots of travel opportunities for me (except that for some reason I still regularly have to point out that I'm not from the US in a lot of places before people get friendly, comes with English still being the world's ligua franca).
Quite sad really.
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.
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?
I agree with you in principle, but to me it seems more the norm than the exception. The United States requires (or at least used to require) fingerprinting as part of a DOD security clearance application.
In Japan if you have a visa you are required to be fingerprinted and carry an alien card (the gaijin card). When I lived there, one fingerprint was displayed on the card, though they have since phased out the picture, but not the fingerprinting requirement.
In the Philippines an alien (or any citizen) is required to be fingerprinted to get an NBI clearance (required for any work, identification and for long-term visas). Also, if you are required to get an exit clearance to leave the country, you will be fingerprinted for that.
No matter how many times I've been fingerprinted and never by the police for a suspected crime, I still feel soiled.
Another example is Russia. When the US introduced the form DS-157 form for visa applications few years ago, Russia created their own form for the USA citizens only that mirrors DS-157. So now Americans who want to visit Russia have to answers lots of questions like their last employments including addresses and supervisors names, military ranks, occupation and dates of service, all professional, charity and civil organizations they have ever been associated with, and so on.
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.
part of the system is to see how agitated people become while doing all this waiting. the idea is that someone who is doing or planning something illegal will become nervous and evasive when they finally get to talk to the agent. the more stressed they are from waiting in line, the more likely they are to betray their true intent.
not sure that's scientifically sound, but it seems like it would at least make it easier to spot the amateur or newly recruited terrorist.
To be fair, I had a much, much worse experience in Spain than in the USA regarding immigration practices.
The lines on the spanish Barajas airport were just as long, and the police at the airport stopped me twice because I had a beard. Maybe I looked muslim but I'm fucking mexican, I even spoke their language.
They strip searched me, and made me (and my family who were standing with me) almost miss my flight, after asking dumb questions like "Why do you carry this pouch inside of your shirt?". It was one of those pouches to keep your passport and money safe.
It didn't do them any good - they still had a successful terror attack a few months later. I think it was ETA.