Another brilliant PR move by the administration. Why would anyone want to even bother visiting the US with such loose controls over there personal data? The Bush administration has such a terrible record of protecting personal data, even when they're supposed to be protecting the data, so one can only imagine what will happen with the records. Of course, it is now probably only a matter of time before the other countries around the world inflict similar programs on Americans.
Millions of Britons who visit the United States are to have their fingerprints stored on the FBI database alongside those of criminals, in a move that has outraged civil rights groups.
The Observer has established that under new plans to combat terrorism, the US government will demand that visitors have all 10 fingers scanned when they enter the country. The information will be shared with intelligence agencies, including the FBI, with no restrictions on their international use.
US airport scanners now take only two fingerprints from travellers. The move to 10 allows the information to be compatible with the FBI database.
