I'm an European and I lost all hope of ever visiting USA without losing the last bits of my privacy and dignity.
Back when TSA screening entered into force I pretty much knew it's over, but actually my somewhat (over?) enthusiastic contribution to the Tor project turned out to be, and I'm not afraid to use that word, the mistake that most probably hit the final nail in the coffin.
If even random companies mention my Tor project involvement in their recruitment emails than what is the chance the neurotic and overly paranoid American security agencies will let it slide?
Don't worry. I'm an American and by far the three worst experiences I've ever had with being searched happened in Europe (going into Russia, going into France and through Germany to Italy).
At worst the TSA has been annoying, but I've never had to say, dump the contents of all of my carry on onto the floor and talk the person through what each item was and why I needed it (France), or get questioned why I had brought a snack in my carry on (Germany), or detained while my instruments were looked through with mirrors for drugs (Russia).
I was detained for four hours at Newark airport. I was entering on a visa waiver for some meetings, and I was just coming off the back of another visa waiver trip. They were basically trying to prove that I was working illegally in the US. I had to empty the contents of my pockets and the bag I was carrying. The guy took my wallet, took every bank card out of it and asked me where the bank account was held, how much money was currently in the account and how much money went through the account each year. He made me switch my laptop on and spent some time looking through files on it. He literally told me "I think you're lying to me, you better come clean or this will be bad for you". He spent ages typing into my file on his computer (supposedly, maybe he was writing his girlfriend) and told me that if I ever tried to come back on a visa waiver I would be declined (untrue, as it turns out).
Obviously if you're American it's easier because they can't deny you entry. I basically had two options - do everything he said, or go home, miss my meetings, and have to tick the "I've been declined entry to the US" box every single time I go to the US for the rest of my life, which would make every border crossing a multiple hour ordeal.
I'm European, and I've never been hassled during my travels. The worst I've experienced was having to pull 10m of ethernet cable out of my carry-on in Stavanger Airport, Norway, but that's it -- and I can easily see how a rolled-up cable might've hindered the airport security from looking through my bag.
Off the top of my head I've been through England, Denmark, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Hungary, Spain, Egypt, India, Nepal, Germany, Holland, Italy, Portugal and Peru, and I've never had any trouble.
Maybe you've just been targeted because you're American, just like Brazil is fingerprinting US Americans[1] to pay back the amount of trouble foreigners often find themselves in when visiting USA?
> Maybe you've just been targeted because you're American, just like Brazil is fingerprinting US Americans[1] to pay back the amount of trouble foreigners often find themselves in when visiting USA?
It is not exactly 'payback'. This is one of the few policies which I agree with: it's just reciprocating. If the US requires fingerprinting of Brazilian citizens, then Brazil requires fingerprinting of US citizens. If European countries require that you have with you X amount of cash for every day you are going to spend there, then Brazil will require the same.
When spain decided to turn back lots of Brazilians a few years ago, for silly reasons, Brazil started doing exactly the same thing. Apparently, it didn't last long.
By the way, me and my brother (plus our mom) were visiting the US together. Since we have very similar names, the lady switched our fingerprints. She did notice the mistake and corrected... my brother's. So my visa application had the wrong fingerprints.
Of course, there was a mismatch when I was scanned at US immigration. Other than losing a couple of hours waiting my turn in a room (thankfully, full of other people) and losing a connection, I didn't run into many issues. The officer (after staring at me for like 5 minutes, which was weird), turned the monitor around and asked who that individual was. It was displaying a photo of my brother, and I told him so. Then he asked where he was, and I pointed to my brother, standing a few meters from where we were. So the officer welcomed me to the US and let me go (and told me I'd 'always' have the same problem).
That went surprisingly well, and everyone was very, very polite. That was at Atlanta. But even if that particular experience was fine, I am still wary of visiting the US again without my brother. I have no idea what's going to happen then and how much explanation/proof will be required then, due to no mistake on my part.
The next time you travel to the U.S., I'd visit the local consular's office or Embassy and talk to them about the situation and see if you can get it resolved.
I travel internationally quite a bit, at least twice a year, and 11 times in one particularly grueling year. I absolutely believe I was targeted as an American. Not because of some petty payback or other nonsense, but because I was obviously a foreigner and the border people in those countries were pretty much just doing their jobs (if a bit overzealous). They are supposed to scrutinize foreigners trying to enter their country.
I'm not really mad about it at all, just pointing out that the U.S. doesn't have a monopoly on harassing travelers and there's really nothing much special about it even if it is unbelievably annoying for the majority of people who get harassed and inconvenienced by it. You literally have to accept that when you go to another country, you are a visitor and not really subject to the kinds of protections that country's citizens (may) have or your own country offers you.
Absolute, and another funny anecdote about it. I was coming back from Asia, and is the custom, was given way too many gifts of things to eat on my way out and ended up with a box of grapes in my carry-on. Arrived in L.A. and the CBP officers asked me if I had any food, fruits veggies etc. I brought out the grapes and they started questioning me. I offered to toss 'em if that made it easier. They thought that was acceptable and right as they were handing them back to me to throw away the officer looked down and saw "product of California" on the box. We all had a good laugh and I ate the rest of the grapes while waiting for my connection back home.
I don't know why coldarchon below is dead. I had an apple in my bag coming back from somewhere and arriving in Atlanta. The customs beagle found it ... but the officer let me eat it on the spot rather than confiscate it. :-/
I'm European, and the first I've experienced is having to take off my shoes while someone pats me down because the metal detector beeped at my belt or shoes, and someone else X-rays my stuff.
I found it annoying and invasive, but it sounds like even the mildest TSA procedures are a lot worse than that.
No, actually the worst I've experienced was having to bribe some guard in Mali because I couldn't find the receipt for my luggage.
"but it sounds like even the mildest TSA procedures are a lot worse than that."
While I don't agree with a lot of the racial profiling and other acts the TSA commits, I don't think the average case is near as bad as you think.
I've flown internationally(to relatively unstable regions also) quite a few times since the TSA was put in place. Normally I step through a body scanner and grab my things and go. My worst case was accidentally having toothpaste in my carry on and having to go through that to throw it out.
Then again, it's probably easier for me as a young, Caucasian, American. YMMV
I'm all for abuse while overseas. I've never been felt up anywhere but Frankfurt. They were quite polite about it, but it was obviously payback. Guy and woman. I asked if the woman could do the TSA-feeler search and they laughed.
It was puzzling that they were completely gobsmacked and lost searching my backpack. It's a Deuter. Made in Germany. It was like I was doing a late-night infomercial for them.
There can still be mandatory passport checks at internal borders even with Schengen. This is a while ago, but back in 2001 I crossed the border from France to Italy a few days before the G8 summit in Genoa [0]. Passport checked, questions asked about itinerary, and a French couple on a motor bike was turned back due to not carrying their passports.
On the other hand, that is the only time of quite a few crossing where this have happened.
Bane, Bane. You need to get with the program. In order to appear intellectual and progressive you need to state that the USA is the worst thing ever by bringing up some anecdote about Police State USA. Anecdotes about bad treatment in Europe are just not cricket. Especially about France and Germany. Thank god you didn't say anything negative about any of the Nordic states. That's really bad.
It's pretty rare that this stuff happens to be honest. I enter the USA very often and TSA agents are very nice more often that not.
I should note that i travel with weird electronic gear that they've generally never seen (a lot of it is hand made..) yet, never had any issue. They do scan and ask to see what it is, I always comply with zero question of course.
I know one other offense which is both breaking an american company contract, breaking american law, and making you lose any argument about good faith. Does that make someone at risk?
Back when TSA screening entered into force I pretty much knew it's over, but actually my somewhat (over?) enthusiastic contribution to the Tor project turned out to be, and I'm not afraid to use that word, the mistake that most probably hit the final nail in the coffin.
If even random companies mention my Tor project involvement in their recruitment emails than what is the chance the neurotic and overly paranoid American security agencies will let it slide?