U.S. Nearing Deal on Way to Track Foreign Visitors

[arcos]

U.S. Nearing Deal on Way to Track Foreign Visitors

The Department of Homeland Security is on the verge of awarding the biggest contract in its young history for an elaborate system that could cost as much as $15 billion and employ a network of databases to track visitors to the United States long before they arrive.

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With a virtual border in place, the actual border guard will become the last point of defense, rather than the first, because each visitor will have already been screened using a global web of databases.

:wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

<snip>

Officials say they will be able, for instance, to determine whether a visitor who overstays a visa has come in contact with the police, but privacy advocates say they worry that the new system could give the federal government far broader power to monitor the whereabouts of visitors by tapping into credit card information or similar databases. The system would tie together about 20 federal databases with information on the more than 300 million foreign visitors each year.

<snip>

Officials say they will work to ensure that the privacy of foreigners is protected and that the system will not be used to profile travelers, but civil libertarians say they are nonetheless alarmed that databases could be used to monitor both foreign visitors and American citizens, and they have already challenged it in court.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/24/politics/24VISI.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5062&en=dcef4902a6ed0426&ex=1085976000&partner=GOOGLE

[AspenRose]

1. I look at this, and am reminded of Spain's Prince Felipe

Remember what happened to him when he was in Florida recently?

This is a disaster.

[Snoggera]

2. Just stick a RFID tag

on everyone and be done with it.

[CHIMO]

3. Doomsday Book

Seems to me that it is an attempt to say that we don't have a society that can be trusted and therefore has to be controlled.

Result. Seems to me that people will avoid the experience, with a net result that other countries will accept the students, vacationers and business people.

Net result: it will work.

[arcos]

4. kick!