Slashdot Mirror
What the DHS Knows About You
Sherri Davidoff writes "Here's a real copy of an American citizen's DHS Travel Record, retrieved from the US Customs and Border Patrol's Automated Targeting System and obtained through a FOIA/Privacy Act request. The document reveals that the DHS is storing: the traveler's credit card number and expiration; IP addresses used to make Web travel reservations; hotel information and itinerary; full airline itinerary including flight numbers and seat numbers; phone numbers including business, home, and cell; and every frequent flyer and hotel number associated with the traveler, even ones not used for the specific reservation."
Hrmm. I think this was pretty much covered in this past article: http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/01/06/2238228/A-Peek-At-DHSs-Files-On-You?art_pos=4 Perhaps a different person's records, but basically the same deal, from what I can see so far.
Tor wouldn't help in this situation. All it would do is alter the IP address that you accessed your travel agent's website from. It wouldn't do anything about the need to provide your real name, credit card info passport info, and everything else required to get airplane and cruise tickets.
I worked for a large company post-9/11 with fingers in most major industries, including a significant presence in travel (whether you knew it or not). Part of the data collection they did was essentially building profiles of everyone, including all of the information this guy obtained. The government couldn't legally collect the data, but being a private corporation, this place could. Naturally collecting all of that is really only useful for spying on people, so there was never any real doubt as to what happened to it. The rabbit hole goes a fair bit deeper into what you do and how that information is linked, and that was all just at this one company.
The US already collects vasts amount of information as part of the visa application process for any foreign national, all paid by the applicant.
Different countries pay different amounts. I wish the $10 would be the case. Chileans pay $131 just for a visitor's visa, and that doesn't even include all the expenses in getting the required paperwork.
The US unfriendliness towards visitors you mention has been here for a long time, and it's manifested in many different ways, some subtle, some not.
Looks like he went Tampa to London via Houston (used to be Intercontinental) and then mysteriously flew from Charles DeGaulle in Paris back to Tampa via Newark. (Hmmmmmm.. what of the missing segment? Hmm? Hmm?!!!)
They have these crazy things in Europe called "trains" that connect city centres without having to hang around in an unfashionable suburb for a few hours waiting to be put into a metal tube. You don't even have to take your shoes off to get on them.
It's always seemed strange to me that when people think of the shoe bomber, they think of Richard Reid instead of the guy that actually succeeded.
Not as a green card holder - do that and they deny you the renewal. An "isolated incident" of course.
- - - Non Caffeine Drink or Drink Error
CRS =
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_reservations_system
And I, as as taxpayer, would rather people be able to visit me without having these dumb systems forced upon them.
I couldn't really care less if a trivial amount of my taxes goes towards giving emergency treatment to someone who needs it, but then I come from one of those weird countries where we have the radical notion of not asking for credit card details because someone's bleeding to death on the pavement.
Check out Virtual Account Numbers - I think Citibank offers these. They are one-time use, throw away credit card numbers. I use them for virtually all online purchase along with purchases from entities I don't trust. The US Government would definitely go into that category.
I have traveled to the 3rd world more than once. The US boarder is far worse and has been for a long time. Heres the real funny part. I was only ever on connecting flights in the US. I have never gone all the way through customs! And that still worse than entering any 3rd world country I have visited.
The Grey Goo disaster happened 3 billion years ago. This rock is covered in self replicating machines!
They don't "want" that number. What you see in TFA is a standard (Passenger Name Record (PNR). Most flight bookings finally end up in a computer reservation system. The system this PNR's from is Amadeus. And yes, they include all the listed information. The older information mentioned most likely stems from his customer profile record in Amadeus.
Who said anything about "KY"? This is America - we don't play nice.
Truth, Justice. Or the American Way.
Silly commenters always have such a skewed sense of reading comprehension. The trips were:
Tampa - Houston - London
Paris (CDG) - Newark - Tampa
The "missing segment" is how the traveler got to Paris from London without flying, not from Newark to Tampa The answer, of course, is a train (ever hear of the Chunnel?)