Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate - What do US CBP see?

What do they see in thier computers when they scan your passport? One of them made a comment to me about something that got me wondering.....

What did they comment on?

A previous destination.

Sometimes they barely glance at the screen and away I go and others seem to really "look" at it for a good minute or two....

A previous destination.

Sometimes they barely glance at the screen and away I go and others seem to really "look" at it for a good minute or two....

They certainly can see any destinations that you've been to/from since the barcodes on the passports were been instituted. I got mine in 1999 and I would assume they were there long before that.

They certainly can see any destinations that you've been to/from since the barcodes on the passports were been instituted. I got mine in 1999 and I would assume they were there long before that.

There is absolutely no way they can do that.

I think they use a much more low tech solution - they look at the entry/exit stamps in the passport.

I was also under the assumption that they could not do that but when he made the comment he had not looked inside the passport :confused:

There is absolutely no way they can do that.

I think they use a much more low tech solution - they look at the entry/exit stamps in the passport.

They often can. There is an international linked computer system to verify passports and it can share certain data. Not everyone is on it nor shares everything mind you but certain countries do (No I cannot expand on that but the basics have been posted here before).

You can FOIA your passport info and see for yourself on the USA based records. There are threads here on it and they show samples.

Many times your PNR is listed, airports, flights connections ,credit cards used for payment, FFlyer numbers and of course every single scanned entrance to the USA and many of the exit flights info from APIS.

When I went in for my GE interview, the officer showed me what they see. It is indeed what Flying Houstonian said. She showed me pictures of me at every entry I made and commented on the fact that I must really like red Polos and showed me wearing one in LAX, SFO, ORD.... virtually every time. The records she showed me certainly went back at least 5 years and I have had GE for at least two now.

When I went in for my GE interview, the officer showed me what they see. It is indeed what Flying Houstonian said. She showed me pictures of me at every entry I made and commented on the fact that I must really like red Polos and showed me wearing one in LAX, SFO, ORD.... virtually every time. The records she showed me certainly went back at least 5 years and I have had GE for at least two now.

Sure, they may have all the surveillance data they collect at entry/exit points in the US (which is quite Orwellian in its own right) + whatever data airlines transmit on inbounds - but this is a very long way from knowing from the bar code/chip where I had been earlier.

For a starter I don't even need a passport for 30+ countries - just my national ID suffices, which is not scanned or anything, but simply glanced at.

Also, I cannot possibly think that foreign governments connect their data bases to any US government data base on travellers/passports. (There just might be a very few exceptions) But can you see Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran (name any country here) sharing routine data with the US?

In 2006 or so I FOIAed my CBP file because of something I had read here.

The response came back in 2009 (during the first month of the Obama admin).

Aside from a record of my entries to the US, there was a note that I had requested a seat change on a transatlantic flight.

They never heard of SeatGuru.

Sure, they may have all the surveillance data they collect at entry/exit points in the US (which is quite Orwellian in its own right) + whatever data airlines transmit on inbounds - but this is a very long way from knowing from the bar code/chip where I had been earlier.

For a starter I don't even need a passport for 30+ countries - just my national ID suffices, which is not scanned or anything, but simply glanced at.

Also, I cannot possibly think that foreign governments connect their data bases to any US government data base on travellers/passports. (There just might be a very few exceptions) But can you see Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran (name any country here) sharing routine data with the US?

There are lots of exceptions, so much so that calling them "exceptions" may be rather misleading.

Also, I am assured that Pakistan shares a lot of routine passenger data with the US (some of the data even being junk :D ). And even that which is not willfully shared by one government can and is taken by another country and/or other "partner(s)", inclusive of government contractors who would be breaking a law if doing so vis-a-vis US government-retained data from within the US.

Machine-readable passports and other data-entry facilitator means have enabled the government to further control people. I have no doubt about that, particularly as I've seen what goes on with investigations of individuals who were "wanted" but using non-machine readable passports compared to some of their associates who were "wanted" but using machine-readable passports -- a big difference in how "efficient" the chases were (not) came back to passport type.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/796579-what-shows-up-immigration-officers-screens-they-scan-your-passport-2.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/683349-what-do-us-customs-see-when-they-swipe-passports.html

You can FOIA your passport info and see for yourself on the USA based records.

Here's the information from CBP (http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/admin/fl/foia/foia_requests/how_entry_exit.xml) on how to do this.

When i did my GE interview, upon being shown how to use the machine, it was pre-populated with my re-entry info for a trip that was 2 months down the line. They keep info on your past and future travel somewhere

Since the days of requiring every itinerary that touches or overflies US soil to include SFPD data, they can see your entire itinerary. So no, foreign countries aren't sharing much (EU excepted), but they can see which countries you flew to.

Since the days of requiring every itinerary that touches or overflies US soil to include SFPD data, they can see your entire itinerary. So no, foreign countries aren't sharing much (EU excepted), but they can see which countries you flew to.

Foreign countries are sharing a lot, even well beyond the EU. And what isn't being "shared" may be considered to be since governments do steal and otherwise live under the mantra of better to ask for forgiveness than seek permission in advance -- US way more than most.

Foreign countries are sharing a lot, even well beyond the EU. And what isn't being "shared" may be considered to be since governments do steal and otherwise live under the mantra of better to ask for forgiveness than seek permission in advance -- US way more than most.

That may all be true, but this kind of info would be used in intelligence matters, not just pop up on a CBP screen, which I believe was the original question.

They often can. There is an international linked computer system to verify passports and it can share certain data. Not everyone is on it nor shares everything mind you but certain countries do (No I cannot expand on that but the basics have been posted here before).

You can FOIA your passport info and see for yourself on the USA based records. There are threads here on it and they show samples.

Many times your PNR is listed, airports, flights connections ,credit cards used for payment, FFlyer numbers and of course every single scanned entrance to the USA and many of the exit flights info from APIS.

This is why I travel with 2 different passports from different countries and randomly switch the ones I use for entry/exit when abroad. My US passport is always used to depart and re-enter the US, but where I go from there is none of their business.