this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2025
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Creepy US immigration welcome (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 7 months ago by trailee@sh.itjust.works to c/privacy@lemmy.world
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US citizen here. I recently returned from my first international travel in a few years, and I was unpleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get back into the country.

In the returning citizens line, everyone was directed by an officer to one of three tablets each on a stand about 3-4 feet high. You stuck your face in the right spot for the camera and the tablet turned green. And that was it, free to go. No conversation with a human about where you went, no human verifying your passport, no need for the passport at all. Just a face scan (presumably matching a database of digitized passport photos) and you’re done.

Makes me wonder what the bar is for various local law enforcement or different federal agencies to get access to the database and hook in with surveillance cameras.

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[–] bitofarambler@crazypeople.online 37 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (6 children)

It's everywhere.

Digital immigration went from the interesting exception to the somewhat chilling norm over the last ten years I've been traveling.

I've been face scanned and digital fingerprinted entering every country in recent memory.

[–] paper_moon@lemmy.world 18 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (4 children)

So.. Can you opt out and talk to a person without having your face scanned? I really don't want another piece of identity that can be stolen and used against me in the form of identity theft or worse, in yet another database.

[–] MasterOKhan@lemmy.ca 16 points 7 months ago

I believe technically you can. But they will make it as inconvenient as possible. As someone who travels for work, I’ve accepted it as a necessary evil.

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