FrankRep
04-25-2008, 09:43 AM
U.S. Government Orders Travel Industry To Collect Fingerprints
The John Birch Society
April 25, 2008
ARTICLE SYNOPSIS:
Commercial airlines and even cruise lines have been order by the U.S. government to collect digital fingerprints of all foreigners as they depart this country.
Follow this link to the original source: "U.S. to Insist That Travel Industry Get Fingerprints (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/21/AR2008042103036.html?referrer=emailarticle)"
COMMENTARY:
Michael Chertoff’s Department of Homeland Security has issued another security initiative under its US-VISIT program. DHS now insists that airlines collect digital fingerprints somewhere between the check-in counter and the departure gate. The government estimates that the new rule will cost the already ailing airlines as much as $2.3 billion over 10 years. The overall economic impact is estimated at $3.5 billion say airline industry experts.
DHS has already implemented the entrance procedures of US-VISIT, having collected digital photos and fingerprints of over 100 million travelers since 2004. There is no evidence or documentation that they nabbed any criminals or terrorists through this program — not one word has been said about its efficacy.
The additional financial burden placed on an already struggling airline industry could be the death knell for some airlines. The resulting long lines and delay of departures with subsequent missed connections is bound to add to the increased frustration of travelers as well.
But the real issue here is that DHS, with Congressional approval, is forcing a private industry to collect data for the federal government. Congress set a June 2009 deadline for compliance in the exit portion of US-VISIT. And it is travelers who will pay the price, both literally and figuratively — as the industry will pass on the cost to its customers, and innocent travelers will be now be treated as common criminals.
But Chertoff doesn’t care and is quite adamant about winning the battle with the airlines. "We have to decide who is going to win this fight. Is it going to be the airline industry, or is it going to be the people who believe we should know who leaves the country by air?"
Meanwhile, while Chertoff works to build the government's surveillance regime, Congress is considering expanding the list of "friendly countries" whose citizens can visit the U.S. without a visa. Possible inclusions on the present list of 27 countries are South Korea, Greece, and the countries of South America. Now many countries in South America (http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/americas/11/07/terror.triborder/) — some might say most of them — harbor, support, and even finance terrorists and terrorism.
Obviously, imposing the US-VISIT surveillance system makes little sense in the fight against terrorism if Congress is going to expand the list of nations whose citizens can visit America without a visa. It could be that the apparent conflict of interest is explained by bureaucratic bumbling. Or it could be that the supposed terrorist threat is just an excuse to build an ever more encompassing surveillance apparatus.
If so, its a safe bet that in the next few years DHS will want to include U.S. citizens in its the exit and entrance "programs."
SOURCE:
http://www.jbs.org/node/7859
The John Birch Society
April 25, 2008
ARTICLE SYNOPSIS:
Commercial airlines and even cruise lines have been order by the U.S. government to collect digital fingerprints of all foreigners as they depart this country.
Follow this link to the original source: "U.S. to Insist That Travel Industry Get Fingerprints (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/21/AR2008042103036.html?referrer=emailarticle)"
COMMENTARY:
Michael Chertoff’s Department of Homeland Security has issued another security initiative under its US-VISIT program. DHS now insists that airlines collect digital fingerprints somewhere between the check-in counter and the departure gate. The government estimates that the new rule will cost the already ailing airlines as much as $2.3 billion over 10 years. The overall economic impact is estimated at $3.5 billion say airline industry experts.
DHS has already implemented the entrance procedures of US-VISIT, having collected digital photos and fingerprints of over 100 million travelers since 2004. There is no evidence or documentation that they nabbed any criminals or terrorists through this program — not one word has been said about its efficacy.
The additional financial burden placed on an already struggling airline industry could be the death knell for some airlines. The resulting long lines and delay of departures with subsequent missed connections is bound to add to the increased frustration of travelers as well.
But the real issue here is that DHS, with Congressional approval, is forcing a private industry to collect data for the federal government. Congress set a June 2009 deadline for compliance in the exit portion of US-VISIT. And it is travelers who will pay the price, both literally and figuratively — as the industry will pass on the cost to its customers, and innocent travelers will be now be treated as common criminals.
But Chertoff doesn’t care and is quite adamant about winning the battle with the airlines. "We have to decide who is going to win this fight. Is it going to be the airline industry, or is it going to be the people who believe we should know who leaves the country by air?"
Meanwhile, while Chertoff works to build the government's surveillance regime, Congress is considering expanding the list of "friendly countries" whose citizens can visit the U.S. without a visa. Possible inclusions on the present list of 27 countries are South Korea, Greece, and the countries of South America. Now many countries in South America (http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/americas/11/07/terror.triborder/) — some might say most of them — harbor, support, and even finance terrorists and terrorism.
Obviously, imposing the US-VISIT surveillance system makes little sense in the fight against terrorism if Congress is going to expand the list of nations whose citizens can visit America without a visa. It could be that the apparent conflict of interest is explained by bureaucratic bumbling. Or it could be that the supposed terrorist threat is just an excuse to build an ever more encompassing surveillance apparatus.
If so, its a safe bet that in the next few years DHS will want to include U.S. citizens in its the exit and entrance "programs."
SOURCE:
http://www.jbs.org/node/7859