US paranoia

Just read in the paper the the US authorities or going to dig into your e-mail and creditcard use when flying to the US, if your card was used to buy the ticket and the e-mail was used to book or contact the airline … :astonished:

They must be real smart … if I had bad intensions they think I would use my regular e-mail and a CC in my name … jeez … :s

Are you so naïve to think that other governments don’t do this?

Or is the that the US is the only country that washes its dirty laundry in public?

It’s just the stupidness of it … one bureaucrate gets the idea of checking e-mails and CC history … to what avail … to show people they are doing something … homeland security? Come on …

Yeah…and we’re going to require a ‘Damage Deposit’ when you enter the country also.

Of course it will be refunded when you leave…if everything is like it was when you entered.

[quote]Yeah…and we’re going to require a ‘Damage Deposit’ when you enter the country also.

Of course it will be refunded when you leave…if everything is like it was when you entered.[/quote]

Erm…that’s really ironic seeing the amount of mess the US leaves behind it in countries.

Accessing my credit card number and e-mail address, telephone number and home address?

I doubt it.

1): For security reasons I don’t use a credt card.
2): Since 2000 I have been giving my airline false e-mail adresses and false telephone numbers - they get given a work number.
3): The airlines always get given a work address and all correspondence goes through work.
4): The US can fuck right off if they think they are having any of my details.

Can we get a link for this story?

[quote=“Dangermouse”][quote]Yeah…and we’re going to require a ‘Damage Deposit’ when you enter the country also.
Of course it will be refunded when you leave…if everything is like it was when you entered.[/quote]Erm…that’s really ironic seeing the amount of mess the US leaves behind it in countries.
Accessing my credit card number and e-mail address, telephone number and home address?
I doubt it.
1): For security reasons I don’t use a credt card.
2): Since 2000 I have been giving my airline false e-mail adresses and false telephone numbers - they get given a work number.
3): The airlines always get given a work address and all correspondence goes through work.
4): The US can fuck right off if they think they are having any of my details.[/quote]We know who you are boyo. We know all about you and your antics allright.
All we have to do is follow your wake of broken hearts and shattered dreams to find you me bucko!

But seriously, the deposit is $150.00 USD when entering.
Will that be Cash or credit card?

(thats my story and I’m sticking to it)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/01/nusnoop01.xml

I’m seething.

[quote]But seriously, the deposit is $150.00 USD when entering.
Will that be Cash or credit card? [/quote]

Are you really being serious? I havn’t read about this.

[quote=“Dangermouse”][quote]But seriously, the deposit is $150.00 USD when entering.
Will that be Cash or credit card? [/quote]Are you really being serious? I havn’t read about this.[/quote]Uhh…yeah…send the money to me or Comrade Stalin. We’ll sort out the details.
Or you can give it to him at the Post Home next time.
Anything to make you life easier when you travel… :smiley:

You are being serious!
You’re too kind. Both of you.
Well, I’m spent out of most major currencies at the moment, being Christmas and all.
I’m not sure I trust the postal service in Taiwan with my hard earned cash seeing as it took me two attempts to send that DVD to once, remember?
I’ll take it to the Post Home and give it to Comarade Stalin…no…wait…he has trouble counting after an hour or so at the bar.
I’ll give it to Fred Smith next time I see him…in Iraqi Dinars. I’m sure he’ll accept, seeing as he thinks the Iraqi economy is doing so well at the moment. :smiling_imp:

But seriously. Is the US the only gov. to do this? Or is the US gov. the only one to talk about it openly?

I mean come on…we’ve all seen In The Name of The Father

I’m pretty certain from the beginning of time to today the U.S. Goverment is the only goverment that does bad bad and sometimes naughty things.

Judging by the rhetoric coming from some circles, you’d almost believe it.

Its called selective memory, if you can develop this skill it will improve your personal, career & country’s standing. I cannot think of any drawbacks to mastering this :smiley: I’m thinking about starting up a weekend workshop on this. Can you recommend any guest speakers?

[quote=“Dangermouse”][quote]Yeah…and we’re going to require a ‘Damage Deposit’ when you enter the country also.

Of course it will be refunded when you leave…if everything is like it was when you entered.[/quote]

Erm…that’s really ironic seeing the amount of mess the US leaves behind it in countries.

Accessing my credit card number and e-mail address, telephone number and home address?

I doubt it.

1): For security reasons I don’t use a credt card.
2): Since 2000 I have been giving my airline false e-mail adresses and false telephone numbers - they get given a work number.
3): The airlines always get given a work address and all correspondence goes through work.
4): The US can fuck right off if they think they are having any of my details.[/quote]

Says the person who comes from the country with by far the highest concentration of CCTV cameras in the world, some of which in a literally Orwellian sense can talk to people.

In Taiwan, paying cash would be no problem, but I bet back home the government would scrutinize you much more closely if you were to pay for an airplane ticket with cash than a credit card.

hmm US paranoia
good title. works both ways, dunnit?

[quote]But seriously. Is the US the only gov. to do this? Or is the US gov. the only one to talk about it openly?
[/quote]

Yes. I can say with certainty that the US is the only government which looks into foreign travellers details as European and British law stipulates that the privacy rights of the passengers are protected, regardless of whatever country they are travelling from or from whichever country they actually belong to.

The only passengers that will be looked into are those that are suspected of being involved with terrorism or serious crime, those with intelligence markers or those which are known to have been involved in or have connexions with terrorist/serious crimes, which, in my opinion is fair and square.

What is not fair is penalising normal people who have nothing to do with criminals or terrorism at all and then holding their information on databases for indefinate periods. It is quite reasonable to assume that this information will be passed on to third parties to build up other intelligence databases and to third parties for profiling, as per what is currently happening with the database of foriegn fingerprints US authorities promised they would not pass on, but have and are doing so right at this present time.

Meanwhile when all this is going on and as innocent, normal law abiding citizens are travelling to the US, terrorists with more than half a brain will be coming in to the States across the Canadian border where there are not the same restrictions in place; or across the Mexican border where it is a piece of piss to sneak across, get on a domestic flight (like those used to down the twin towers by American-trained pilots) with false docs and do the same.

If the US authorities put half as money and effort into actually chasing up terrorists, liasing with foreign intelligence and actually targeting the correct people as they do pissing off other countries, making it difficult and tiresome for travellers and generally buffooning around making themselves look like incompetent pricks chasing their tails with inneffective policies, then they might actually get somewhere with the war on terrorism.

The reality is that the US is losing respect from the people and governments of the countries who are trying their level best to help them with their problem which was largely caused by the US’ own arrogance and behaviour to other countries in the first place.

It also doesn’t cross the mind of the bigwigs in the inteeligence agencies that the more restrictions that are placed on air travel from abroad, the greater the threat of home grown terrorism will be from within the US.

[quote]Says the person who comes from the country with by far the highest concentration of CCTV cameras in the world, some of which in a literally Orwellian sense can talk to people.
[/quote]

So what’s your point? It’s one thing having your own country pry into your personal life everyday, but a jumped up, arrogant arsehole government of a foreing country doing it is just taking the piss. I’m not a US citizen and although I was born there, have absolutely no intention of ever becoming one, Ever. And seeing as I am not a US citizen, the US has no right to any of my personal information unless I commit an offence.

The various travel agencies I have flown with have never asked for any other information bar contact details. I have always paid in cash. They have always issued tickets. Method of payment is between myself and the company and is none of the governments business.
Also, because of bad debt, many people cannot apply for a credit card and have to pay cash to go on holiday. I’d wager that between 30 - 50% of tickets are paid for by businesses or host businesses in the US for business travel and the transaction has absolutely nothing to do with the traveller in question.

Again, another half baked, ill thought through policy the US has come up with. If anyone can tell me what concrete advantages this policy will have on counter terrorism within the United States, please tell…

:unamused: I promised myself I wouldn’t be tempted into one of these ‘conversations’.

[quote=“Dangermouse”]
Yes. I can say with certainty that the US is the only government which looks into foreign travellers details as European and British[/quote]

That Disney bastard was right. It’s a small world after all.

[quote=“Dangermouse”]law stipulates that the privacy rights of the passengers are protected, regardless of whatever country they are travelling from or from whichever country they actually belong to.
The only passengers that will be looked into are those that are suspected of being involved with terrorism or serious crime, those with intelligence markers or those which are known to have been involved in or have connexions with terrorist/serious crimes, which, in my opinion is fair and square.[/quote]

Right on, brother! In a perfect world, this kind of shit doesn’t happen. So easy to spot in those “!TEAM BAD GUY!” uniforms.

Agreed.

Largely? Only largely? My friend, you need to brush up on your selective memory technique. If you want to use history to rationalize this ‘problem’, then I’d be very interested to hear your views about how tranquil and enlightened European/North African/Middle Eastern interaction has been through the ages to present day.

You’re welcome.

Again, agreed. It is half-baked, misdirected and is more likely to waste money than to catch evil-doers. It’s just that… well to paraphrase somebody, somewhere: You’re losing respect, though I’m trying my level best to agree with you, due to your own arrogance.

The news story wasn’t that the U.S. snoops in your e-mail. They’ve been doing that since it became popular (and probably had a hand in the operation of the major providers, just to make sure they could do it). The news was that European governments will now cooperate with them, despite Europe’s stricter privacy laws.

The U.S. is not the only country that likes to snoop. China does so routinely. (Don’t open any e-mail account while in China that you don’t want them to read everything on–the local internet center will record your keystrokes and give the govt your password if they’re curious about you.)

Yes, I’m paranoid–but am I paranoid enough?