http://apnews.excite.com/article/200308 ... 1NM00.html
Biometric passports and visas.
Will this help or will people just sneak in without going through entry points?
I haven't really formed an opinion on this one. One part of me says it is a good thing and might help cut down on illegal immigration. Another part screams Big Brother! LOOKOUT!!
Another step towards Big Brother or.....?
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Akaran_D
- Way too much time!
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Maybe I'm strange here, but I don't see this as a bad idea.
Yes, it will let the government keep closer tabs on me. Ok, I can deal with that. I do expect a certain ammount of privacy, but they have as much
right as anyone elese to know who is and who isn't in the country. Consider how this would aid in tracking down criminals (granted, sure to be found ways to get around it, but none of them would be easy) or just finding a guy that's 3 months late on his child support trying to leave the country to duck it... but even to do that they'd have to intergrate a couple hundred other systems on a per state basis to match the national confirmity to really check for anything more than "Joe Doe left the US onw ednesday to cross into Canada" which would take the better part of 2 or 3 years, I'd wager, to even get 5 states done.. and that's IF you have a afairly large staff working full time and spending several billion dollars more to work out.
Not a concern, really. /shrug
Yes, it will let the government keep closer tabs on me. Ok, I can deal with that. I do expect a certain ammount of privacy, but they have as much
right as anyone elese to know who is and who isn't in the country. Consider how this would aid in tracking down criminals (granted, sure to be found ways to get around it, but none of them would be easy) or just finding a guy that's 3 months late on his child support trying to leave the country to duck it... but even to do that they'd have to intergrate a couple hundred other systems on a per state basis to match the national confirmity to really check for anything more than "Joe Doe left the US onw ednesday to cross into Canada" which would take the better part of 2 or 3 years, I'd wager, to even get 5 states done.. and that's IF you have a afairly large staff working full time and spending several billion dollars more to work out.
Not a concern, really. /shrug
Akaran of Mistmoore, formerly Akaran of Veeshan
I know I'm good at what I do, but I know I'm not the best.
But I guess that on the other hand, I could be like the rest.
I know I'm good at what I do, but I know I'm not the best.
But I guess that on the other hand, I could be like the rest.
Thing is: If somebody wants to enter illegally into a country they can do it. New passports wont help for that.
However, USA is already the only country in the world who demands a new type of passports. The new type has a bar code (is that what it is called? You know the same type that is used in stores so they can scan stuff) so it is electronicaly readable. Every single person who enters the US now has to get this new passport, or get a visa (yes even people from countries who are not required tourist visas). It's a total pain in the ass to get, and I myself lost my visa due to the total confusion about the new passport rules (I had to go through the god damn visa application process again and almost did not make it in time for classes).
Why this new visa? So the immigration peopel wont have to punch in a simple code on their systems. Why do they need this code? Because every single person who enters or exits the US is registered in a huge database, where most of the things we do while IN the US is registered as well. Funfun stuff!
Am I bitter? I would have been more than bitter if I had lost my classes due to this mess, which would have meant lost scholarship etc. And personally, I am not a huge fan of having big brother watch me wherever I go. But of course, I am not American so I can't vote and make a difference.
But you can.
However, USA is already the only country in the world who demands a new type of passports. The new type has a bar code (is that what it is called? You know the same type that is used in stores so they can scan stuff) so it is electronicaly readable. Every single person who enters the US now has to get this new passport, or get a visa (yes even people from countries who are not required tourist visas). It's a total pain in the ass to get, and I myself lost my visa due to the total confusion about the new passport rules (I had to go through the god damn visa application process again and almost did not make it in time for classes).
Why this new visa? So the immigration peopel wont have to punch in a simple code on their systems. Why do they need this code? Because every single person who enters or exits the US is registered in a huge database, where most of the things we do while IN the US is registered as well. Funfun stuff!
Am I bitter? I would have been more than bitter if I had lost my classes due to this mess, which would have meant lost scholarship etc. And personally, I am not a huge fan of having big brother watch me wherever I go. But of course, I am not American so I can't vote and make a difference.
But you can.
well in the US, it is very easy to get a passport if you are a legal citizen. I can imagine in other countries where 20 (30?) year old technology like bar code readers is not readily availble could have some problems in this regard 
but this article isnt about passports. passports can be circumvented.
biometrics cannot without extensive surgery. Facial reconstruction is not something that most will do to foil the sekret cameras.
And fingerprint transposition...not sure if that is even possible, even though we see it done in silly action movies
so biometric analysis is potentially much more secure than special passports or whatever.
i dont have a real problem with this sort of technology being used at an airport. If the FBI wanted to know my comings and goings, it wouldnt be hard for them to find out what flights i had taken, since i dont travel under assumed names, etc.
but this article isnt about passports. passports can be circumvented.
biometrics cannot without extensive surgery. Facial reconstruction is not something that most will do to foil the sekret cameras.
And fingerprint transposition...not sure if that is even possible, even though we see it done in silly action movies
so biometric analysis is potentially much more secure than special passports or whatever.i dont have a real problem with this sort of technology being used at an airport. If the FBI wanted to know my comings and goings, it wouldnt be hard for them to find out what flights i had taken, since i dont travel under assumed names, etc.
But you forget one thing Voronwe: This isn't aimed at you, me or any other normal person. It is aimed at the "bad guys", and they WILL go to any lenght to get the job done. So you have to consider wether or not it will help stop them, not what it would do to you (well except that it will keep an eye on you constantly).
Oh and FYI: Norway exported quite a few scanners and other stuff like that (like the automatic payment system for toll roads etc) to the US because you guys sucked at it
PS: Takes what, 5 weeks for a passport in the US? Takes 3 days in Norway. Getting the passport wasn't the problem, having to reapply for visa during the busiest part of tourist season was.
Oh and FYI: Norway exported quite a few scanners and other stuff like that (like the automatic payment system for toll roads etc) to the US because you guys sucked at it
PS: Takes what, 5 weeks for a passport in the US? Takes 3 days in Norway. Getting the passport wasn't the problem, having to reapply for visa during the busiest part of tourist season was.