Island Joins Uk's E-borders Programme

[Albert Tatlock]

From MR: Island joins Uk's e-Borders programme

 

Personally, I think we should all tell them to poke-off. Mass surveillance on it's citizens and 'papers please' - I wasn't born in a police state and don't want to die in one either - so no thanks.

 

Links

UK introduces 'E-Borders' programme, proposing more surveillance and profiling of all.

 

e-Borders: a false sense of security

[localyokel]

This is an electronic travel monitoring system being developed over the next few years to help combat terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal immigration and other serious crime.

 

That will no doubt be used to monitor the tax days spent in the UK by IOM residents so that UK tax bills can be handed out in the fullness of time.

[Skeddan]

60. Extent to which the government invokes new risks and threats as an excuse for curbing civil liberties

1 : Low

0.5:Moderate

0 : High

[Cronky]

From the Isle of Man Government website:

 

Government looking at implications of 'e-Borders' programme

 

A secret committe no less:

 

Following the announcement of the e-Borders strategy by the UK Home Office in March 2007, the Council of Ministers established a high level strategic group to start considering the issues.

[Cronky]

Here is the list of details swiped for international journeys I.E. Heysham:

 

1. The passenger and service information is the following details in respect of a passenger—

 

(a) name as it appears on the reservation;

 

(b) place of birth;

 

© issue date of travel document;

 

(d) address;

 

(e) sex;

 

(f) any contact telephone number;

 

(g) e-mail address;

 

(h) travel status of passenger, which indicates whether reservation is confirmed or provisional and whether the passenger has checked in;

 

(i) the number of pieces and description of any baggage carried;

 

(j) any documentation provided to the passenger in respect of his baggage;

 

(k) date of intended travel;

 

(l) ticket number;

 

(m) date and place of ticket issue;

 

(n) seat number allocated;

 

(o) seat number requested;

 

(p) check-in time, regardless of method;

 

(q) date on which reservation was made;

 

® identity of any person who made the reservation;

 

(s) any travel agent used;

 

(t) any other name that appears on the passenger’s reservation;

 

(u) number of passengers on the same reservation;

 

(v) complete travel itinerary for passengers on the same reservation;

 

(w) the fact that a reservation in respect of more than one passenger has been divided due to a change in itinerary for one or more but not all of the passengers;

 

(x) Code Share Details;

 

(y) method of payment used to purchase ticket or make a reservation;

 

(z) details of the method of payment used, including the number of any credit, debit or other card used;

 

(aa) billing address;

 

(bb) booking reference number, Passenger Name Record Locator and other data locator used by the carrier to locate the passenger within its information system;

 

(cc) the class of transport reserved;

 

(dd) the fact that the reservation is in respect of a one-way journey;

 

(ee) all historical changes to the reservation;

 

(ff) General Remarks;

 

(gg) Other Service Information (OSI);

 

(hh) System Service Information (SSI) and System Service Request information (SSR);

 

(ii) identity of the individual who checked the passenger in for the voyage or flight or international service;

 

(jj) Outbound Indicator, which identifies where a passenger is to travel on to from the United Kingdom;

 

(kk) Inbound Connection Indicator, which identifies where a passenger started his journey before he travels onto the United Kingdom;

 

(ll) the fact that the passenger is travelling as part of a group;

 

(mm) the expiry date of any entry clearance held in respect of the United Kingdom;

 

(nn) card number and type of any frequent flyer or similar scheme used;

 

(oo) Automated Ticket Fare Quote (ATFQ), which indicates the fare quoted and charged;

 

(pp) the fact that the passenger is under the age of eighteen and unaccompanied; and

 

(qq) where the passenger is a person under the age of eighteen and unaccompanied—

 

(i) age;

 

(ii) languages spoken;

 

(iii) any special instructions provided;

 

(iv) the name of any departure agent who will receive instructions regarding the care of the passenger;

 

(v) the name of any transit agent who will receive instructions regarding the care of the passenger;

 

(vi) the name of any arrival agent who will receive instructions regarding the care of the passenger;

 

(vii) the following details in respect of the guardian on departure—

 

(aa) name;

 

(bb) address;

 

(cc) any contact telephone number; and

 

(dd) relationship to passenger; and

 

(viii) the following details in respect of the guardian on arrival—

 

(aa) name;

 

(bb) address;

 

(cc) any contact telephone number; and

 

(dd) relationship to passenger.

[Skeddan]

Chief Minister Tony Brown (pictured) says the Island must ensure its security is protected and it's not perceived as a weak link in international defences against serious crime or immigration breaches.

I'm confused. What I don't see is why IoM might be a 'weak link'. If the UK introduce this on entry to the UK, then anyone going from IoM to the UK will be covered. Someone going from Ireland or Geneva to IoM still wont be able to get into UK without going through this screening - won't they? How then would IoM be a weak link? If not screened on entry to the UK, then that is a matter for the UK - i.e. it is a hole in their border it is up to them to plug - in the UK.

 

The justification might be to prevent possible hijacking of a EuroManx aircraft which could be used for a 9/11 style attack on the UK - but existing measures should be sufficient to ensure security on board the aircraft.

 

I don't think govt access to PNRs is necessarily a bad thing - and can be justified - e.g. for immigration control, benefit fraud or other specific purposes which are clear and tightly controlled. But should not be introduced gratuitously for general purpose access or for spurious reasons.

 

Have I missed something over immigration control in IoM and in UK arrivals from IoM? - and which makes IoM a 'weak link' as a point of entry to the UK?

[Cronky]

I'm confused. What I don't see is why IoM might be a 'weak link'.

 

It's got nothing to do with terrorism or security. Common sense will tell you that.

 

I 'phoned up No2ID and asked Guy Herbert what E-Borders is about. His immediate answer was that it was 'part of the OECD war on tax havens'.

 

E-Borders means they can monitor and 'risk assess' the movements of all of us in and out of the Isle of Man. If they see any patterns of travel they don't like then they start to look more closley at individuals.

 

It is Big Brother, no doubt about it. Comin must have been pushed hard by the UK to accede to this.

 

It's a business threat and not good news.

[Skeddan]

It's got nothing to do with terrorism or security. Common sense will tell you that.

Cronky - I can't believe that the CM would spout a load of hogwash which is so obviously nonsense, or that the local journalists and political commentators - let alone MHKs would let him get away with that without giving him a grilling. I can only assume IoM must be a target for terrorists and under real threat of attack.

[localyokel]

I 'phoned up No2ID and asked Guy Herbert what E-Borders is about. His immediate answer was that it was 'part of the OECD war on tax havens'.

 

E-Borders means they can monitor and 'risk assess' the movements of all of us in and out of the Isle of Man. If they see any patterns of travel they don't like then they start to look more closley at individuals.

 

Its certainly part of the whole bullshit war on terror. Like the fact that under the extradition treaty set up between the UK and the USA following 9/11, no UK citizens charged with terrorism offences have been extradited to the USA but the agreement has assisted the extradition of many for acts such as alleged securities fraud and tax evasion (prime case the Natwest 3). Its total nonsence to believe that these agreements exist purely for anti terrorism purposes.

[Cronky]

I wouldn't panic if I were you. Anyway, even if this grandiose project ever worked it would be years away. What is the CM doing about the threat in the meantime??? They are trying to get photo ID into the Orkney and Shetland Islands. They have never even seen anyone from sub Saharan Africa up there.

 

http://www.orkneytoday.co.uk/news_item.asp?newsItem=3326

 

20/02/2008 16:22:00

 

A GROUP of councillors is calling on the ferry company, NorthLink, to delay the move to require people to show photo identification before being able to board.

 

A special motion will be considered by the full council at its meeting next Tuesday, which has been put forward by Councillor Steven Heddle and has been countersigned by OIC vice-convener, Councillor James Stockan.

 

The specific wording of the motion is: 'We the undersigned, move that the council should request that NorthLink Ferries Limited postpones its proposed implementation of a requirement for all passengers to provide photographic proof of identity before boarding, until such time as a complete assessment and evaluation of the implications can be fully considered and show that such a requirement is justified'.

[Frances]

as Orkney + Shetland are part of the UK this appears to be getting dangerously close to the old Soviet Internal Passport needed to move between major cities.

[Cronky]

Home Office Miniter Meg Hiller quoted in the The Herald:

 

Quote:

Giving evidence to the (House of Commons) Home Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Meg Hillier, Minister for ID cards, said we should see the cards as "passports in-country".

[Skeddan]

So the head of government can fob you off with a lot of nonsense without a murmur from the state controlled media, and everyone in their right minds knows its a load of tosh and puts up with this sort of carry on? Dumbocracy maybe?

[La_Dolce_Vita]

It's got nothing to do with terrorism or security. Common sense will tell you that.

Cronky - I can't believe that the CM would spout a load of hogwash which is so obviously nonsense, or that the local journalists and political commentators - let alone MHKs would let him get away with that without giving him a grilling. I can only assume IoM must be a target for terrorists and under real threat of attack.

 

It could be the Laxey Wheel that is hit next!

 

I think it more likely that the CMs mind is heavily on the issue of immigration which unfortunately seems to be important issue for the general public. If the UK and other nations are taking steps to make the free movement of people and immigration more difficult I would suppose that the Island would not like to feel that it is will be a 'target' for increased immigration by being left out. I think that is the sad fact of it.

[triskelion]

"In response to this the Council of Ministers has agreed in principle that the Island should be involved in the programme so that it can further explore the implications in detail"

 

This is not a commitment to particpation, just an agreement to go along with it so they can see what is involved.

 

Cronky, surely all that information is available to Governments via the carriers anyway?

 

That said, I'm not confident the CoMin would reject this no matter what it demands.