Foreign Keys: Travel Surveillance

<p>This week we&#39;re discussing borders, biometrics and more, as we take a look at what kind of surveillance you might experience if you&#39;re traveling to the World Cup, or to the EU schengen area. </p><p><strong>Acronyms</strong></p><p>- ETIAS: European Travel Information and Authorisation System (new for visa exempt; no biometrics - run by a central unit operated by frontex; this is where manual checks carried out if automated checks flag problems)</p><p>- VIS: Visa information System (obvs for visas; age lowered to 6? - will soon check other systems)</p><p>- EES: Entry/Exit system (biometrics on entry; records all border crossings)</p><p>- CIR: Common Identity Repository (only non-eu citizens; weak anti-discrimination; identity info from visa and ta - data from other databases lives here and is used for purposes beyond travel e.g. police checks in country)</p><p>- Eurodac: (all asylum seekers, and trying to add undocumented migrants)</p><p>- ECRIS-TCN: European Criminal Records Information System for Third-Country Nationals (data on non-EU citizens convicted in one or more EU member state)</p><p>- SIS: schengen information system (an EU database for police, judicial and border control/cooperation, to see whether they are wanted by the police or subject to an entry ban; checked on crossing external schengen border inc eu citizens)</p><p>- MID: Multiple-Identity Detector</p><p>- SLTED: Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database (checked on crossing external schengen border inc eu citizens)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Links</strong></p><p>World Cup: <a href="https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5759/moving-goalposts-football-facial-recognition-and-expansion-surveillance" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5759/moving-goalposts-football-facial-recognition-and-expansion-surveillance</a></p><p>USA</p><ul><li>Trump Administration: <a href="https://privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/5713/trump-administration-wants-your-dna-and-social-media" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/5713/trump-administration-wants-your-dna-and-social-media</a></li></ul><ul><li>Airport Phone searches: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/travel/airport-border-phone-search.html" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/travel/airport-border-phone-search.html</a></li></ul><ul><li>Customs and Border Protection phone searches: <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/travel/cbp-search-authority/border-search-electronic-devices" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.cbp.gov/travel/cbp-search-authority/border-search-electronic-devices</a></li></ul><ul><li>Snooperbowl 2000/2001 NFL season<br><a href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/firm-defends-snooper-bowl-technology" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/firm-defends-snooper-bowl-technology</a></li></ul><ul><li>Omar Artan, the Somali Referee not allowed in to the US: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cnv9drg0qzgo" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cnv9drg0qzgo</a> </li></ul><ul><li>Some more info on the Iranian team&#39;s travel restrictions <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/iran-thank-tijuana-after-world-cup-exit-support-mexico-second-team-2026-06-30/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/iran-thank-tijuana-after-world-cup-exit-support-mexico-second-team-2026-06-30/</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>The EU&#39;s database complex - the EES and ETIAS</p><ul><li>PI on EU travel surveillance from 2020 <a href="https://privacyinternational.org/explainer/4119/travel-surveillance-eu" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://privacyinternational.org/explainer/4119/travel-surveillance-eu</a></li></ul><ul><li>Statewatch on the ETIAS <a href="https://s