[dead]
The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
171–180 of 376 posts
Re: The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
#172On "selling out" claims. Yet again people not reading the article and trying to misrepresent who was the driving force: > In 2022, the US government announced that it would require access to biometric databases of countries if they wish to keep visa exemption for their citizens travelling to the US Big bad eu !!11!?!
So, that wasn't even Trump.
Biden kept a lot of Trump's policies inact, he just wasn't loud about it.
Re: The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's called racial profiling.
US citizens aren't fingerprinted on entry, regardless of race(!). They don't even have the fingerprint machines in the citizen line at any airport I've ever gone through, which is why I suspect GP went to the wrong place.
SFO has fingerprint machines in all lines, including the citizen lines. And in the Global Entry lines, even.
I agree with you that US citizens aren't supposed to be fingerprinted on entry, but I am absolutely unsurprised that it happens sometimes.
Re: The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
#174Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's called racial profiling.
U.S. border agents really are just worse. Much worse. (I can't say what racial profiling adds to that, I can only speak to my own experiences). I've been routinely grilled and extensively searched many times just crossing between the U.S. and Canada - the most hilarious instance being when I was crossing from Yukon Territory back to Alaska some 10 years ago. In Latin America, things are considerably more professional…
> In Latin America, things are considerably more professional, and the government officials don't act like they hate you and just want you to go away.
Depends. Someone I know had a terrible experience crossing into Belize on a land border. Was held there for two hours while they "verified" something. Seemed like a power-tripping agent.
Re: The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
#175Earlier quoted context omitted.
The same rules in Canada and Mexico.
And the UK I think.
No, you land at Heathrow you don't go pass passport control if you change onto another international flight. You go through security and then into the departure lounge.
Obviously if you land at Heathrow and fly out of Manchester then sure you have to immigrate, but not at the same airport.
Same at Dubai and Qatar, Helsinki and Frankfurt, Singapore. and Seoul.
Indeed last time I transited Seoul I stayed in a hotel airside for 12 hours before my next flight.
Re: The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
#176[dead]
Re: The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
#177Earlier quoted context omitted.
No more waiting in a long immigration queue?
I assume you would have to wait anyway but the processing of your person would be faster. With that, I much prefer US immigration queues than EU immigration queues — as of 2026, my US times are much faster than my EU times.
It probably matters where, because the longest waiting times were always in the US for me. Especially since digital passports, the queue into the EU is always extremely quick with those, while it’s still the same into the US (at least in Boston and Los Angeles, where I usually land).
Re: The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
#178Earlier quoted context omitted.
The average US border official is a (angry) moron (with a badge and a gun). They've literally fingerprinted me on entry with a US passport because they were too stupid to figure out US citizens don't have to do that. I have been interrogated by CBP to ask if I "work in the country" despite being a citizen. Anything that changes the process from the simplest one-size-fits all will be fucked up, they cannot differentia…
I’m a minority who, despite visually fitting the stereotype of a plane hijacker, have found our passport control people to be nothing but professional and courteous. The overall system seems to be pretty efficient about moving people through, despite the airports I’m going through being out of date and not set up for the volumes of traffic they get. This is a marked contrast to the rest of our immigration, border pat…
The issue with stories like yours is that they don't really tell us anything. The incidence of racial profiling is low enough that some people, such as yourself, will never have a problem, ever. But that doesn't mean there aren't problems, and that they don't crop up often enough to be something we should be really uncomfortable with letting happen.
Re: The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
#179Earlier quoted context omitted.
The amount of data you need to provide for ESTA and a B1/B2 US Visa is not remotely comparable - the visa process has way more steps and requirements.
"you" being the operative word. The rest of the information will just be supplied by your government instead of yourself.
To apply for a visa, even a B1 visa, you have to go to a consulate and show them proof of your bank account, property you own, family details, your job and such things (supposedly to show that you are tied to your home company and not secretly trying to immigrate to the US).
Governments don't even have all this information about their own citizens reliably even if they wanted to hand it over.
Re: The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
#180The point missing in the article is that, in order to enter the US, one needs to give the US Govt their photo and fingerprints ("biometric data") anyway. There are two options: visa-free with the biometric data passing on the wire (no hassle), or visa (a major hassle) and biometric data passing in the airport (a minor one). As a side note, the EU also collects photo and fingerprints from visitors now. Whereas in the…
[dead]