According to The Guardian newspaper, the British government is proposing new measures to identify domestic travelers in the E U, including collecting their mobile phone numbers and credit card details. This will allow the government to know all the shopping habits and restaurant preferences of every person who takes a domestic flight or rides a Eurail train. If you win the Euro Millions lottery while traveling in Belgium, they will be able to call you on your mobile with the good news. They will also know who is staying in your hotel room with you and can give you ample warning if you wife decides to come and visit you while you are on “business” trip.
A pilot program to gather biometric information, (DNA) from travelers coming from Pakistan to the UK shows great promise. It may be possible to add this important medical service to travel within the E U. It will save so much time in case of a medical emergency while traveling to have one’s genome ready at hand.
At this time only international travelers can enjoy these services. They are offered to Europeans visiting the United States, thanks to an information sharing agreement with the American Department of Homeland Security. It is unclear whether the credit card numbers and inseam length of domestic travelers would be shared with the Americans under this new proposal, although that would add convenience.
Together with the new street corner surveillance cameras and face recognition software, these measures will ensue that travelers will no longer have to worry about being unrecognized. Gone will be the day when a rude Portuguese waiter will have to be asked “Do you know who I am?”
February 23, 2008 at 2:27 am
Seems everybody wants to get in on the Big Brother Schtick!
Now everybody is going to know that I wear tie-dyed underwear!
February 23, 2008 at 8:58 am
And this is different from the US’s attempts to know each person on international flights, even if those flights aren’t landing in the US, and all US residents how?
Seems like the brits are just trying to keep up with the Joneses and adding the “notify you about lottery winnings, your wife’s arrival” as a sweetener to make the big brother go down easier.
February 23, 2008 at 10:41 am
Yes, and I don’t understand what President Bush has against tourists. He says “Tourists hate our freedom.” “Tourists want to kill us.” “We need to catch the tourists.” Cripes, they only want to see Radio City Music Hall and spend some Euros, George.
February 23, 2008 at 3:10 pm
The UK already, due to its relative small size compared to ours, has at any point in time, an incredibly massive amount of cameras patrolling city streets and public places. The odds of not showing up on one are very small and growing more limited all the time.
February 24, 2008 at 8:35 am
[...] 8: Another government looking to thwart tourism… Brits Want To Know More About You–ROTUS [...]
March 3, 2008 at 1:54 pm
The UK, according to one Conservative politician, is now an elective dictatorship.