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Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending Crypto and Cryptology Conferences

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Re: Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending Crypto and Cryptology Conferences

#61

Post by sireat »

buro9 wrote: post #28

My visa takes a long while. Not quite as long as it took Adi Shamir, but long. On average it takes about 14 weeks to get a visa, but on occasion it has taken many many months. I've done the calculations, the worst-case scenario for the full process is 32 weeks. It's never actually taken that long, but it's not been far off. I remember having to explain to Microsoft that they needed to write a sponsor/supporting lette…

What has been your the worst experience in the "secondary".

I had the dubious privilege of being sent to secondary upon arrival in Houston earlier this year.

The experience reminded me of old Soviet Union or something out of Kafka.

My wait was not very long maybe 30 minutes and after that I was sent on my way without any interview or anything, but those were some extremely long minutes.

I first made the mistake of sitting down in the "comfy" chair, which apparently was reserved for those poor souls who have to remain in secondary overnight or longer.

Then I noticed a sign No Electronic Devices Allowed, which meant no tablet, no e-reader no nothing. So better bring a book ("Consolation of Philosophy" perhaps?).

There were no progress or status updates or anything. I saw some misplaced NATO soldiers sent on their way quickly, while an elderly Russian emigree couple was berated for leaving US to travel.

Then there were people in the comfy chairs who had resigned to their fate and simply were sleeping or pretending to.

Again, this doesn't sound that bad, but the problem was that there was absolutely no indication on how long this process could take. No queue numbers no nothing.

I am supposed to go to US again soon, but I am extremely wary now.

What is the worst experience in the secondary that you've experienced?

Re: Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending Crypto and Cryptology Conferences

#62

Post by UnoriginalGuy »

informatimago wrote: post #45

What is obvious is that "Adi Shamir" is a name of someone living in a country dominated by Islam, and further that person is known to work in cryptography, so he is obviously a terrorist trying to send secret orders to other terrorists. In any case, he's a PITA for the NSA and other good guys like that. What they should have done, is to give him a visa, and redirect his flight direct to Guantanamo for further interro…

Two things, first off attributes are rarely placed on closing tags, and secondly you forgot to enclose the value in quotes as in level="big"

Re: Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending Crypto and Cryptology Conferences

#64

Post by thebooktocome »

WizzleKake wrote: post #49
informatimago wrote: post #45

What is obvious is that "Adi Shamir" is a name of someone living in a country dominated by Islam, and further that person is known to work in cryptography, so he is obviously a terrorist trying to send secret orders to other terrorists. In any case, he's a PITA for the NSA and other good guys like that. What they should have done, is to give him a visa, and redirect his flight direct to Guantanamo for further interro…

Wat. He's from Israel. ...

As if border control cares.

Re: Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending Crypto and Cryptology Conferences

#66

Post by kartikkumar »

Why did he apply for a J-1 visa? I've been on a J-1 a couple of times for research stints in the US, but my understanding is that for conferences, you can also make use of the B-1 visa [1], as stated on the State department's website. The B-1 is generally processed much more quickly, with the J-1 requiring a lot more documentation.

[1] http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_2665.html#...

Re: Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending Crypto and Cryptology Conferences

#67

Post by axyjo »

WizzleKake wrote: post #49
informatimago wrote: post #45

What is obvious is that "Adi Shamir" is a name of someone living in a country dominated by Islam, and further that person is known to work in cryptography, so he is obviously a terrorist trying to send secret orders to other terrorists. In any case, he's a PITA for the NSA and other good guys like that. What they should have done, is to give him a visa, and redirect his flight direct to Guantanamo for further interro…

Wat. He's from Israel. ...

Hence the (incorrect) sarcasm tag.

Re: Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending Crypto and Cryptology Conferences

#68

Post by mortdeus »

There needs to be legislation that allows foreign scientist's visas to be rushed to the front of the line when they have a science convention. I mean just imagine if doctor A had information to present that would help doctor B find a cure for HIV or something just important.

Are we really making it that difficult for the smartest people in the world to convene and discuss all the new smart stuff they know with the other smartest people in the world?

Re: Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending Crypto and Cryptology Conferences

#69

Post by tedunangst »

cantrevealname wrote: post #17
chmars wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was actually submitted at least twice yesterday: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6562394 On HN, gaining interest depends on many factors. Great to see the story finally in the pole position! :)

How much you can relate to the title is very important -- even on HN. Look at the 3 submission titles on HN: (1) Cryptographer Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending NSA History Conference (2) How The Government Blocked An Expert From Attending Its Own Cryptology Symposium (3) Adi Shamir--the "S" in RSA encryption--Prevented from Attending US Crypto Talks Number 3 (this submission) is getting the exposure the story dese…

And now the current (3) title is "Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending Crypto and Cryptology Conferences".

Re: Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending Crypto and Cryptology Conferences

#70

Post by mrgoldenbrown »

hrasyid wrote: post #55
rburhum wrote: post #42

As somebody that has held six different US immigration statuses during a span of a couple of decades, I can almost assure you there is no malice behind this and just pure bureaucratic incompetence. I once had a paper that was supposed to arrive in three months take three years . What I learned is that going to the USCIS office after something is due and checking the status will make a difference since, for example, y…

Nobody said there's malice.

I disagree. The article itself implies possible malice. It mentions "personal vendetta" (with no supporting evidence or even speculation as to why) as a potential cause of the delay. I would consider a personal vendetta to be malicious.
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