U.S. online travel authorization system starts

Monday 12th January, 03:14 PM JST

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realist at 07:59 PM JST - 12th January

I gave up visiting the US after all the paranoia following 9/11. Last time, I was treated like a terrorist upin arrival, so I wont be back until sanity is restored to that country - which mean I will probably never set foot in the place again.
WMD at 09:04 PM JST - 12th January

Since japan always copies whatever America does, the question is how long before japan introduces this scheme to go along with the "criminal" fingerprinting?? Gotta please daddy.
borscht at 09:14 PM JST - 12th January

This is bound to keep out terrorists. I mean, what self-respecting terrorist would lie about his reason for visiting the US? Or anything else. No, I'm sure those in America can sleep safe tonight knowing that no Japanese tourist is going to bomb the crapola out of them. And why don't they call it a visa? Since it is one.
Potsu at 11:01 PM JST - 12th January

A little bit of a hassle for Japanese...makes me laugh,remembering all the damn re-entry permits foreign residents had to go through in this country.
Pukey2 at 11:47 PM JST - 12th January

Since japan always copies whatever America does, the question is how long before japan introduces this scheme to go along with the "criminal" fingerprinting?? Gotta please daddy.

That's exactly what I was thinking. Japan is so predictable. Will Europe hurry up and do this, the fingerprinting and facial scans to all foreign visitors.
gogogo at 03:20 AM JST - 13th January

I really don't feel safe submitting this type of information over the internet, it is such an attractive target for hackers or potential data leaks.
gogogo at 03:21 AM JST - 13th January

The website is not even working at the moment... great start America.
rurika at 04:38 AM JST - 13th January

I don't have a machine-readable passport or e-passport or whatever they call it these days so I won't be going anywhere for a while.

I'm getting really tired of paying high fees to renew my passport only to be told a couple of years later there is a new model and I have to fork out even higher fees to get one.
kokuryu at 05:41 AM JST - 13th January

From the reports, it sounds like it had a good start, which is amazing in of itself. If they can get a system like this going smoothly, travel could be easy in the future. Just pre-register everything, and you are set to go as a world traveller.
Suzu1 at 12:13 PM JST - 13th January

Doing it online ahead of time seems to beat having to fill out the form on the plane, which this new system replaces. It will also save headaches for those uninformed persons who are planning to come to the U.S. for longterm study or work without the proper visa. They otherwise would have been turned around and sent back upon arrival.
gogogo at 12:21 PM JST - 13th January

The website still doesn't work.
Yelnats at 02:54 PM JST - 13th January

Sounds ridiculous. Just told my daughter about it so her friends going to Guam with her can get it done. Page worked fine in Japanese. I checked it out. And the finger printing and photo for us with eiju went so fast at Narita. I was shocked. They had a special line for us, so no alien line nor Japanese line. I feel like a totally new alien. I smiled for the picture.
MichaelJP at 02:54 PM JST - 13th January

One of the top security experts, Bruce Scheiner (http://www.schneier.com/blog/), always has very informative stuff to say on the illusion of security provided by such measures.

Here's a very good entry on how useless the security measures are: http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/10/mehelpingevad.html

"Counterterrorism in the airport is a show designed to make people feel better," he said. "Only two things have made flying safer: the reinforcement of cockpit doors, and the fact that passengers know now to resist hijackers."
MichaelJP at 02:57 PM JST - 13th January

Looks like the link in my last post got mangled. Here's the link to the original article: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/airport-security

Airport security in America is a sham—“security theater” designed to make travelers feel better and catch stupid terrorists. Smart ones can get through security with fake boarding passes and all manner of prohibited items—as our correspondent did with ease.
Hotbox08 at 11:28 PM JST - 15th January

Unless I'm mistaken, any Tom, Dick or Taro from US and Japan can easily get into UK and the rest of the EU without having their fingerprints or photo taken. Safeguards, I hear hotbox say?

Thanks for the reply Pukey2. You are correct that citizens from Japan and the U.S. are allowed into the U.K. without a special visa; only a passport is needed. However, not all foreign visitors can enter the U.K. without a visa. Nationals from countries such as Russia, need a visa to enter, but not for transit. In addition, nationals from countries such as China need a visa in order to enter AND transit within the U.K.

Well if it's a small price to pay, then why isn't the EU doing this then?

As I've stated above, the EU is doing this to foreign visitors; just not all foreign visitors. Or are you implying that only visitors from the U.S., Australia, and Japan are considered "foreign visitors"? And it is the same for all countries. Every country has their own visa requirements for different countries. Some need to go through the laborious task of applying for a visa just to enter a country, while others don't.