A significant shift is looming in the way American citizens will be allowed to enter a large majority of European nations. The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), an arm of the European Union, has unveiled its plans to implement a system in Spring 2025, requiring Americans to secure prior approval for travels up to 90 days in any of the 30 EU countries.
This is a departure from the current practice where US travelers enjoy effortless entry into these countries without a visa requirement. However, the new regulation will insist on individuals proceeding with their travels only after registering their intent via the official ETIAS website or mobile application, both of which currently do not process such requests.
In a radical departure from the norm, from 2025 onwards, American passport holders will no longer receive passport stamps. Alarmingly, the planned regulatory changes involve intense intrusions into personal privacy. The new rules state that visitors will be subjected to both face and fingerprint scans aside from surrendering other biometric data. It’s disconcerting that this data will be reserved within the European Commission’s Common Identity Repository (CIR), a database accessed by numerous agencies, including law enforcement.
The implications of this regulation change could be even more disconcerting from a privacy perspective. Critics and advocates of digital privacy have sounded the alarm on not just the possible misuse of this extensive data pool by governments, but also the potential exposure to hacking threats, be they criminal outfits or invasive foreign governments. There’s also the risk of rogue insiders dealing with this sensitive information.
These regulations reflect a worrying escalation towards a surveillance state that doesn’t differentiate between law-abiding citizens and potential threats but treats them both as data sets to be tagged, traced, and retained.
It’s worth noting that the US began collecting fingerprints of international tourists as part of the US-VISIT (United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology) program, which was initiated in 2004.
Do I want a surveillance state? No. Do I chuckle a bit when life gets a little less convenient for those that had it on easy street for a long time? Yes.
More in a “world is burning down around us” way though, there’s no joy in the reasons or consequences of this for anyone.
Can I use the GDPR to force them to delete it again afterward?
Only if you’re an EU citizen, so probably not.
Only if you’re an EU citizen, so probably not.
GDPR protection applies to all EU citizens worldwide and also all people in Europe regardless of nationality. Perhaps also people with no ties to Europe or EU presence who transact with EU organizations.
@grue@lemmy.world’s real problem would be that the GDPR policy is a pushover. It has no teeth and it’s not being enforced for the most part. Complaints under article 77 are ignored. And if you take GDPR offenders to court, you have to pay your legal costs even if you win. You can’t win enough money to even break even.
I’ve got long-term goals of immigrating, so that’s actually not such bad news.
The bad news is the GDPR is mostly just symbolic. I’ve complained over dozens of GDPR offenses & got no justice from it.
The status quo is a bit bizarre.
Currently if you are an EU citizen entering the EU, your face gets scanned. This /appears/ to be a cost saving measure because it bypasses the check at the manned desk. The passport goes on the scanner and you must face a camera and pose for a portrait. If everything checks out, the automatic doors open. Non-EU people entering the EU stand in a line to talk to border control staff, but no pics are taken. So non-EU people have a bit more privacy when entering.
that’s my same experience returning to the States after flying overseas.
I’m sure there’s going to be commenters saying how this is actually a good thing…
Well I’m never going there.
It should be called European Travel Authoritarian Surveillance System.
I’m not so sure who we’d need to write to or email about this. This is why I believe the EU should be disbanded. If they’re doing shit like this, they need to become a thing of the past.
The US already requires ESTA for EU citizens. How is this different?
Oh stop, NSA data centres anyone?
You get fingerprinted leaving the EU for the US already and a face scan.
that’s insane.
Yeah it’s strange I remember when I first did it, I was used to just showing my passport and fucking off but this person asked some questions, asked for me to touch the pad and then look into the camera.
Dude, chill. I’m from Europe and I got my face and thumb scanned 3 out of 3 times I came to visit the US.
Also had to pay a few bucks for an ESTA every time.
I wouldn’t say that what the EU is proposing is SO outrageous, and I most definitely wouldn’t say that as a US citizen 😉
I’m well aware of the dystopia I’m living in.
Ayy lmao
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