Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

What the DHS Knows About You

Posted by kdawson on from the shirt-size-and-toothbrush-color dept.

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."

11 of 402 comments (clear)

  1. Reminds me... by matt4077 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This reminds me of the current idea to charge a 10$ entrance fee for foreign visitors. The money is supposed to go into a marketing fund. It's not only borderline schizophrenic to raise a new barrier in order to promote it, it might be even more sinister: that fee can apparently only be paid by credit card. Since 10$ doesn't seem to be enough money to be worth collecting, I'm wondering if getting all the credit card data isn't the real goal.

    Or maybe the US wants to finally catch up with the third world in unfriendliness.

    --
    Fleur de Sel
    1. Re:Reminds me... by LLKrisJ · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Well just so you know, I live in Belgium and if I want to get my paperwork to travel to the US I have to CALL the US embassy (I cannot just go there, no sir, we're all terrorist here in Europe, you see) and without so much as getting a human operator to respond, like to - I don't know, ask me what the hell I want - I just have to hand over my CC number so I can be charged xx dollars, just to get them to make an appointment.

      I find that very disturbing, off putting and blatantly rude... It is not because the US can do that that it bloody should. I do not want to go to the US but sometimes the circumstances force me to, but when I do I am treated like a piece of s**t with no rights... It really makes me want to go through all the hassle of getting my visa, then canceling my card and getting a new one.

    2. Re:Reminds me... by Rogerborg · · Score: 5, Funny

      Even banks in Switzerland are routinely turning over information on account holders these days.

      And that is why I only trust Nigerians to handle my financial affairs.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    3. Re:Reminds me... by Blrfl · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ...And don't think for a minute that the issuing bank doesn't keep records of which accounts were issued to what customers and when.

    4. Re:Reminds me... by dkleinsc · · Score: 5, Funny

      'do you have a mental disorder'

      Why yes, yes I do. I'm a pathological liar on questions like this one.

      --
      I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
  2. Dupe by Arkaic · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

  3. Re:Hush, citizen. by commodore64_love · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Technology has changed, therefore it's necessary for the Supreme Court to rethink some of its past decisions. "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects..." should apply to ALL papers/data even if it's not in the citizen's immediate possession. The government should not be able to obtain your personal credit cards numbers from a 3rd party without first getting a warrant from a judge.

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
  4. As a person with a greencard by OzPeter · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The DHS knows a shitload more about than just my travel records. And I had to pay a shitload of money for the privilege.

    --
    I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
  5. Re:Every time I do that I wonder... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What if Richard Reid had been the Underwear Bomber instead of the show Bomber?

    Airports in California would be very popular...Airports in New Jersey, not so much.

  6. Unfortunately, nothing new... by shrtcircuit · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

  7. Well, if you don't have anything to hide... by CyberPhart · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've actually heard people respond to revelations like this by saying, "If you're not doing anything wrong, why are you worried about the government having this information?" I then ask "Really? Well, tell me all about your sex life..no?..are you engaging in some perversion?" or "How much money have you got in the bank?...Why won't you tell me? Are you laundering money for drug dealers?" I don't know which is worse, these clowns prying into our lives or our wonderful Congress sitting there and letting them do it. Big Brother is taking over faster than you doublethink.