Quote:
|
Originally Posted by dizbusta
I understand what you are saying, but where do they get your name from ??
|
It depends on the country you are going to. In the case of Canada, the USA, customs and Immigration get your name from either your customs card (that you must fill in to enter the country) or from your passport. In the case of the EU (Germany, for example), they ask for your passport.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by dizbusta
I must admit I find your comments about them keeping a database very hard to believe, first because it is an invasion of civil rights to keep such a database
|
Well, I won't dispute your concern about an invasion of rights, but the truth is the "invasion is here". I know many people who worked for the company that produced the machine readers for the machine readable passports, and also produced the database software that went along with it. It was a Canadian company, called AIT Corporation. Ticker simple used to be AIV on the Toronto stock exchange. Around 4 years ago AIT was bought out by American 3M corporation. The machine readable passports, and the blank database, were purchased, and put in use, by dozens of countries. The USA commonly exchanges some (not all) of its information with other western countries. Its been like this since the early 1990s, but the database information flow between countries was not as good in the early 1990s, as it is today.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by dizbusta
including 2 trips to USA.
|
I dont' want to get into a debate as to who has travelled the most. Your 30 times/year is a lot! Like you, I too have travelled a lot (in my 50+ years). I've lived in many different countries, but I'm not convinced our travel is all that relevant. What is relevant is knowing about the software, and knowing some immigration officers (friends) who use the readers and use the software. As for your belief about the USA, watch a bit more as to what the immigration official does when he gets your passport. He is the "front" person for both immigration AND customs, and what he enters in his PC, will often flag a customs search, or flag a further immigration interogation.
Frankly, I am surprised more people don't know about these databases, as like you, I am truely outraged by them.
Cheers