Laughing Boy wrote:
] ] Visitors to the United States with visas will be greeted
] ] with a demand for fingerprints and photographs Monday as
] ] a government program intended to fight terrorism takes
] ] effect.
] ]
] ] The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says the goal of
] ] the US VISIT program is to track the millions of people
] ] who come to the United States every year on business,
] ] student and tourist visas -- and to use the information
] ] as a tool against terrorists.
] ]
] ] US-VISIT stands for United States Visitor and Immigrant
] ] Status Indicator Technology.
]
] Don't you just get warm fuzzies all over everytime you are
] reminded you're living in a police state???
]
] LB

Actually, I don't have that big a problem with this, depending how invasive it is. As the picture in the article shows, there are new digital systems where all you have to do to give your prints is to rest your finger on a scanner pad for a moment, and I don't see that as any more invasive than requiring people to display their passport, provide photos of themselves, and fill out the usual visa applications.

If it's the old "ink roller and paper card" system though, then yes, I would find that extremely annoying. I actually think that that old-style perception may be where a lot of the protests are coming from. When most people hear "fingerprints", they immediately envision an inky mess all over their hands, which aside from being embarrassing, would also be extremely inconvenient in an airport while you're already having to juggle bags and tickets.

Speaking as a world traveler, I've been through plenty of border nightmares, especially in third-world countries. I'd routinely have to carry extra photos of myself in case I was asked for one. I more than once was asked for bribes. I accepted as routine that I'd be asked who I was traveling with, where I was staying, and, during the height of the AIDS panic, I was even questioned about my sexual habits (one border guard told me that since I was American, he didn't want me having sex while in his country).

Compared with all that, I see a digital fingerprint scan as trivial. It's a simple check that says, "Yes, I'm the person that this passport was issued for." It makes forging efforts *much* more difficult, and I see that as a good thing.

RE: Program to fingerprint U.S. visitors starts - Jan. 4, 2004