How to get the travelers file that Homeland Security has on you

by Jamie Rhein on

Maybe your Homeland Security file is wafer thin– not much in it that would excite even your grandmother, but if you’re curious to find out what the U.S. government has been collecting on you, here’s the way to get the scoop. The Identity Project has down-loadable request forms that you fill out and mail to the address printed on the documents. You can find out some of the information, although possibly not all of it.

What you’ll eventually get back is any unclassified information like PNRs, APIS Data; and secondary search records. Huh? I don’t know quite what those mean. And, what good does it do to know that stuff? It seems the classified info is the juiciest. At least it’s a start and could help folks feel satisfied and more comfortable that they have a bit of a handle on what the government is up to when it comes to background checks.

Also, as we’ve pointed out, besides your travel habits, your gestures and behaviors, what you put up on the Internet is up for grabs when it comes to keeping track of just who and what you are. [via boingboing]

Border patrol is Googling and Facebooking you

by Iva Skoch on

Here’s a good warning to those travelers who have a net presence in Facebook, blogs, other social networking sites, or anywhere on the web. Watch what you write; “They” are watching, and you can’t escape your past.

It turns out that Homeland Security is now googling (that’s a verb, now, right?) foreigners entering into the U.S., and using this information in order to bar entry.

Andrew Feldmar (pictured right), a Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor and now Vancouver psychotherapist, was detained four hours, fingerprinted, and barred entry after DHS noticed an article of his in a literary and scientific journal, talking about using LSD and other drugs in the 1960s…even though he has no criminal record and hasn’t used drugs since the 1970s. He was told he now needs formal permission from the U.S. consul to enter into the U.S.

It’s doubtful the border agent consulted lawyers to determine if a U.S. crime had been committed by Feldmar’s drug use, presumably in Canada, and over 30 years ago. What if his drug use was legal? If a person can imbibe, quit, and become President of the U.S., should others’ actions from thirty years ago come back to haunt them today? What about journalists that write less-than-flattering articles about the U.S.?

Every Move You Make: TSA is Watching You

by Catherine Bodry on

Feeling antsy as you stand in that airport security line? Nervous you might miss your flight? Worried about that meeting tomorrow?

Even if you’re unaware that you’re giving off nervous vibes, the Transportation Security Administration might notice. The TSA has trained 2,000 of its employees to “replace hunches” with behavior psychology pioneered by Israeli airport security.

Specially-trained “behavior-detective officers” observe the security line and pluck suspicious travelers from the line for questioning. Then the officers chat the passenger up, all the while paying close attention to the passenger’s face, body language, and speech.

So far the TSA has made 278 arrests based on behavior detection. None were terror-related.

Read the full article at USA Today.

Travel Overseas and the Government is Watching You

by Jamie Rhein on

My doctor’s office has a file on me. So does the dentist, my employers, my credit card company, my bank, my health club and I’m sure a bunch more. I just found out that the file the U.S. government has on me might be bigger than I thought. Any American who has traveled outside the U.S. since 2002, whether they flew, drove, or took a cruise, has had their trips monitored.

The Automated Targeting System, part of Homeland Security, has been doing its monitoring thing since the 1990s, but in recent years the information that is gathered has grown. Because of technology and automation, info can be culled from places like commercial reservation systems.

The idea, of course, is to separate those who are simply traveling for whatever non-threatening reason from those who are doing illegal activity or who are possible threats. If you are pulled aside for more screening, your file could get bigger with more information. One guy, whose case is written about in this recent article, found out that his file listed Drugs and Your Rights, a book he was traveling with.

Here is the typical information in that can be found in people’s files. Currently, information is kept for 15 years.

  • names
  • addresses
  • credit card information
  • phone and email contacts
  • itineraries
  • hotel and car reservations

As you can imagine, there is a debate about this tracking system. Perhaps, though, it might come in handy. For example, let’s say you are trying to figure out the exact dates of that trip to Borneo that you took years ago. You’re finally putting together a trip scrapbook and the details you remember are fuzzy. If you contacted the folks watching over the Automated Targeting System, I wonder if they would let you know the dates of your trip and the name of that neat hotel you stayed in as well? By, the way, I’m kidding. I’m not sure what I think of this system. Governments like Singapore’s have kept track of their citizens for years.

New Air Passenger Screening: Round 3

by Catherine Bodry on

The U.S. is finally figuring out how to screen flight passengers without compromising the privacy of its citizens. The Associated Press reports that a “new” and simpler program, called “Secure Flight,” was introduced recently to improve security and keep terrorists off airplanes.

The solution? Passengers must give their full names when booking a flight, whether it be online or by phone. Not only that, but they are also asked to agree to a confirmation of their age and gender in order to reduce the chance of a false match with names on the watch lists.

Hasn’t this always happened? Not only do I give my full name when I book a flight, I also show my i.d. a bazillion times as I check my bags, pass security, and board my flight. But according to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, airlines are passing along their manifests after flights have left, rendering a lot of those i.d.-checking measures a waste of time.

It makes me wonder — if asking for my name, gender, and birth date when I fly is a “new” security tactic, what were the old tactics? If these measures are “simpler,” what other measures will they do away with? With all the flight delays happening, it would be nice not to spend an hour in a security line. But I have little hope of this happening any time soon.