2010-06-08

Feh on "Expedited Border Crossing Schemes"

I just got spammed with an invitation to join "Flux", which appears to be yet another Expedited Border Crossing Scheme, this time between the US and the Netherlands.

I think that the proliferation of all these special pairwise expedited border crossing schemes is stupid. Each one has it's own special set of requirements, each one has it's own special treaty basis, each one has it's own fee, each one has its own special kiosk, each one has it's own database (of varying, unproven, and opaque security), and each one issues it own special card. And they all are exist only as workarounds to bypass the idiotic assinine border paranoia and xenophobia zeitgeist that infest the current system international border control and visas (of which my own country, the US, is one of the very worst offenders).

If we are going to have an international "trusted traveller" scheme, make it much more useful and general. That is, one that lets me use the TSA "registered traveller" inside the US, and also gives me a visa and expedited entry into all of NAFTA, the Commonwealth countries (UK,CA,AU,NZ), and the Schengen Area, and so forth. Also, it shouldn't have it's own special card, but instead can just be accessed via the barcode on my passport, or if the PTBs really insist, a biometric enhanced passport.

But for now, I will give Flux a pass, just like I've given SENTRI and NEXUS and TSART a pass.

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