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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."
That only seems appropriate if the leaders of your country could tick the same boxes truthfully.
Requiem for the American Dream
I'll bite and play devils advocate here for a minute. Regardless of the reasons they want the number for, advertising, or collecting information, it could also be said that if you are entering the US, and you don't have a credit card, for say emergencies, or you get mugged and all your cash is taken, or you lose your cash, or you accidentally burn your travelers cheques, that you need a credit card for purchases, you are now going to be a leach on the US tax payers in the event you end up in hospital (if you dont have any travel insurance).
Just saying, having a credit card is not always a bad thing (if you know how to use one responsibly), and I as a tax payer, would prefer that travelers have some sort of method to pay for emergencies rather then using tax payer funds should the need arise.
I came, I conquered, I coredumped
looks like the site is down due to capacity.
Here is the Google cache of the site http://tinyurl.com/nrt7rm
Wow.. modded troll.. my first ever troll categorization....
Anyways, while I generally do not mind my taxes going to help people in emergency rooms, at the same time, I would prefer that people who can afford it, not use my taxes.
And really, is it that much of a deal to expect people visiting a foreign nation to have sufficient funds or credit (or debit card preferably) on record that shows they can afford to be in the country for whatever reason. I am not advocating that the information be stored and used by the gov, or any entity other then your own financial institution, but is it really that big of a deal.
Granted the examples I used earlier, probably sucked, I will admit that, I am at work, and commenting here is not exactly that high of a priority where I will sit for an hour trying to word out a witty and useful comment.
The point remains the same though, people visiting should be able to prove in some way they are financially stable as to not be an anchor on the country they are visiting, USA, or other countries.
I came, I conquered, I coredumped
Good thing it's not a joke because it's not even slightly funny.
What's your point exactly? The US shouldn't be asking people if they were (or at least could have been) Nazis!? Seriously?
How could anybody possibly object to that question?
Comment of the year