Have you been fingerprinted ?
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Join Date: Apr 2002
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Have you been fingerprinted ?
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040105/airlines_security_1.html
On Monday the U.S. began fingerprinting and photographing certain foreign travellers arriving at more than 100 U.S. airports.
Where's the announcement of this ? I do not like this at all.
It's making me reconsider my forthcoming trip to the US, scheduled for 2 weeks time.
I certainly don't want to be fingerprinted everytime I land at an airport, just to visit the USA.
I'm sorry but I think this step is ridiculous.
The 27 fingerprint exempt countries are:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Portugal and Singapore.
"I think there's going to be lots of changes as time goes on,'' said Nat Aycox, head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Francisco. He noted that by Oct. 26, all 27 countries exempted from the new program would be required to have citizens' fingerprints encoded in new passports.
On Monday the U.S. began fingerprinting and photographing certain foreign travellers arriving at more than 100 U.S. airports.
Where's the announcement of this ? I do not like this at all.
It's making me reconsider my forthcoming trip to the US, scheduled for 2 weeks time.
I certainly don't want to be fingerprinted everytime I land at an airport, just to visit the USA.
I'm sorry but I think this step is ridiculous.
The 27 fingerprint exempt countries are:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Portugal and Singapore.
"I think there's going to be lots of changes as time goes on,'' said Nat Aycox, head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Francisco. He noted that by Oct. 26, all 27 countries exempted from the new program would be required to have citizens' fingerprints encoded in new passports.
Join Date: Jun 2001
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They also wanted your creditcard number, and a whole lot of other information about you, before departing to the US.
It's just part of what a Department of State Security does.
It's just part of what a Department of State Security does.
UkEng
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Lets wait for the backlash from this one, they'll be asking for a DNA sample next...
Seems ridiculous to me to have exempt countries if your going for something as extreme as this, surely the bad guys will just use passports from those countries to enter the US - not that hard to get hold of.
Seem to me Mr Bush is trying to make his countrymen afraid to get out of their beds these days - once again it's the travelling public that takes a hammering and the terrrorists just have another simple to bypass hurdle to overcome.
Seems ridiculous to me to have exempt countries if your going for something as extreme as this, surely the bad guys will just use passports from those countries to enter the US - not that hard to get hold of.
Seem to me Mr Bush is trying to make his countrymen afraid to get out of their beds these days - once again it's the travelling public that takes a hammering and the terrrorists just have another simple to bypass hurdle to overcome.
ZbV
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Prints
Thats not the worst...
For a foreigner to do training in US one has to sign a "Release of information" form and thats a load of c.rap as well.
Link here http://www.flightsafety.com/security...horization.pdf
I just wont go to US anymore, will take my money elsewhere.
JJ
For a foreigner to do training in US one has to sign a "Release of information" form and thats a load of c.rap as well.
Link here http://www.flightsafety.com/security...horization.pdf
I just wont go to US anymore, will take my money elsewhere.
JJ
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That form reads like a farce, even the spelling in the last paragraph is incorrect. Is this suppose to be a USA legal document. My word they are very dumb then if they don't know there 'form' from there 'from'.
MD
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Without taking any sides, there has been quite a lot of publicity around this new program, the US-VISIT program. VISIT is of course a cool acronym, and stands for "Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology."
Here are some "highlights" from the papers I got at work on this thing:
* It applies (for now) only to pax with a VISA (including foreign aircrew on crew visa). Visa Waiver pax (from those countries you mentioned) are exempt. For now, I'd like to add (It's my personal belief that the VWP exemption will dissapear after the system has been tested for some time, but I don't know this for sure, just a guess).
* Entry process is launched 05JAN04 at 113 airports. Exit process will be launched when some technical issues has been solved.
* Entry process consists of, in addition to normal checks, scanning of fingerprints on left and right index finger on an inkless digital "fingerscanner" and a digital photo will also be taken of the person.
* When the Exit process is phased in (sometime during 2004), the same persons will have to register their departure from the US in self-service kiosks where they will again scan the fingerprints as well as their travel documents. Failure to do so might result in problems in obtaining a new visa or entering the US at a later date. There will be attendants available to help with this process.
* They will start with airports and seaports, and will add the US-VISIT system at land borders throughout 2004 and 2005.
Hope it helps.
Here are some "highlights" from the papers I got at work on this thing:
* It applies (for now) only to pax with a VISA (including foreign aircrew on crew visa). Visa Waiver pax (from those countries you mentioned) are exempt. For now, I'd like to add (It's my personal belief that the VWP exemption will dissapear after the system has been tested for some time, but I don't know this for sure, just a guess).
* Entry process is launched 05JAN04 at 113 airports. Exit process will be launched when some technical issues has been solved.
* Entry process consists of, in addition to normal checks, scanning of fingerprints on left and right index finger on an inkless digital "fingerscanner" and a digital photo will also be taken of the person.
* When the Exit process is phased in (sometime during 2004), the same persons will have to register their departure from the US in self-service kiosks where they will again scan the fingerprints as well as their travel documents. Failure to do so might result in problems in obtaining a new visa or entering the US at a later date. There will be attendants available to help with this process.
* They will start with airports and seaports, and will add the US-VISIT system at land borders throughout 2004 and 2005.
Hope it helps.
Businessmen, and people on a visa longer than 3 months and students from the "exempt" countries will have to submit to fingerpriniting and photgraphing
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Lighten up ! USA
What on earth is going on, it seems to me that you (USA) are heading down a slipppery slope that is going to cripple your tourist industry, ruin your airlines and generally wreck what is left of any good will that us "foreigners" have for your country. Still all is not lost, Disneyland will be a lot less busy for you all, as we all choose "more friendly" destinations. This is not a generalisation, I personally know 4 families that have decided against holidays in Florida, they are not frightened of terrorism (we have lived with it for years in the UK) they just dont want to be pushed around by even more knee jerk reactions of a scared nation !
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Damien B,
On the passport thing, VWP-pax must have a biometric passport to travel under the VWP, if the passport is issued after 26OCT04.
I believe there has been talk about changing this to that ALL VWP-pax entering from 26OCT04 must have a biometric passport, regardless of when it is issued, but AFAIK, that is just a rumor.
Many countries are lagging behind in the development of biometric passports, and I think many VWP-countries will have a tough time offering biometric pspts to their citizen that early.
Heck, here in Norway, we started with the MRP's for real as late as this fall (before that, you could only get them in three police districts in the country)!!
But even after that date, with the current rules, you can still apply for a visa, even if you have the old type of PSPT. However, that may change as well. Time will tell...
On the passport thing, VWP-pax must have a biometric passport to travel under the VWP, if the passport is issued after 26OCT04.
I believe there has been talk about changing this to that ALL VWP-pax entering from 26OCT04 must have a biometric passport, regardless of when it is issued, but AFAIK, that is just a rumor.
Many countries are lagging behind in the development of biometric passports, and I think many VWP-countries will have a tough time offering biometric pspts to their citizen that early.
Heck, here in Norway, we started with the MRP's for real as late as this fall (before that, you could only get them in three police districts in the country)!!
But even after that date, with the current rules, you can still apply for a visa, even if you have the old type of PSPT. However, that may change as well. Time will tell...
Shining Example, apparently...
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I'll let the wider concerns go for now, as it's a helluva can of worms.
I was fingerprinted on Saturday (2 days before US-VISIT went live, maybe they were testing the system?). As Feather says, the fingerprinting and photos takes seconds; no trouble at all.
Certain sections of the European media are having a field day, implying delays of hours and full on pad-and-ink 'printing, and neglecting the bit about VWP exeption. IMHO, it's another excuse for US-bashing - and I'm a cynical Brit.
Final point: If the biometric rule goes ahead from Oct 2004, I'll be amazed. The US tried to ban VWP for non machine-readable passports from Oct 2003, then realised they'd be turning back millions of tourist dollars. Result: Deadline extended.
I was fingerprinted on Saturday (2 days before US-VISIT went live, maybe they were testing the system?). As Feather says, the fingerprinting and photos takes seconds; no trouble at all.
Certain sections of the European media are having a field day, implying delays of hours and full on pad-and-ink 'printing, and neglecting the bit about VWP exeption. IMHO, it's another excuse for US-bashing - and I'm a cynical Brit.
Final point: If the biometric rule goes ahead from Oct 2004, I'll be amazed. The US tried to ban VWP for non machine-readable passports from Oct 2003, then realised they'd be turning back millions of tourist dollars. Result: Deadline extended.
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Another interesting thing regarding biometric passports, is that the US wants fingerprints stored, but the ICAO has selected facial recognition as standard for biometric passports.
But I guess they will simply have both.
This will be stored on a small IC-chip in the passport.
But I guess they will simply have both.
This will be stored on a small IC-chip in the passport.
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Max he was quoting word for word the previous poster....guys stay with the subject which is fingerprinting and a general invasion of human rights.The US as they have said many times are at "war" and in wartime there is by definition a general decline in normal standards .I have nothing to fear...I don't like it but if that is the price I have to pay so be it. I am at a loss to understand the fingerprinting on exit 
Talk about OVER-REACTION. I did not see the yanks fingerprinting any Citzens when not ONE BUILDING (which was shocking) but 20 Years of terrorism and a few Hundred Buildings were being blown up in N Ireland. Or am I being to sarcastic when I mention that the funding for a lot of this came via NORAID in the good old USA.
Further to my previous post, I was in NY for Paddys Day Last Year and even though they are supposed to be banned there were still collections going on for them in a LOT of American/Irish Pub's.
Further to my previous post, I was in NY for Paddys Day Last Year and even though they are supposed to be banned there were still collections going on for them in a LOT of American/Irish Pub's.
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But this is the wave of the future anyway, people - electronic finger/palmprints and digital iris scans. It's just another form of id - not much different than a photograph and description - but much more accurate and foolproof.
I see the day coming where people won't even have things like plastic credit cards/id/etc. You'll go to pay for your dinner and place your hand on the pad, get positive id, and the charge will show up on your account. Same thing with passports and visas - just a palm scan and in iris scan and the green light comes on and the door opens - Welcome to the United Kingdom, Mr. Bond.
I see the day coming where people won't even have things like plastic credit cards/id/etc. You'll go to pay for your dinner and place your hand on the pad, get positive id, and the charge will show up on your account. Same thing with passports and visas - just a palm scan and in iris scan and the green light comes on and the door opens - Welcome to the United Kingdom, Mr. Bond.