Episode Details

This week we're discussing borders, biometrics and more, as we take a look at what kind of surveillance you might experience if you're traveling to the World Cup, or to the EU schengen area.

Acronyms

- 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)

- VIS: Visa information System (obvs for visas; age lowered to 6? - will soon check other systems)

- EES: Entry/Exit system (biometrics on entry; records all border crossings)

- 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)

- Eurodac: (all asylum seekers, and trying to add undocumented migrants)

- ECRIS-TCN: European Criminal Records Information System for Third-Country Nationals (data on non-EU citizens convicted in one or more EU member state)

- 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)

- MID: Multiple-Identity Detector

- SLTED: Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database (checked on crossing external schengen border inc eu citizens)

Links

World Cup: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5759/moving-goalposts-football-facial-recognition-and-expansion-surveillance

USA

• Trump Administration: https://privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/5713/trump-administration-wants-your-dna-and-social-media

• Airport Phone searches: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/travel/airport-border-phone-search.html

• Customs and Border Protection phone searches: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/cbp-search-authority/border-search-electronic-devices

• Snooperbowl 2000/2001 NFL season
  https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/firm-defends-snooper-bowl-technology

• Omar Artan, the Somali Referee not allowed in to the US: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cnv9drg0qzgo

• Some more info on the Iranian team's travel restrictions https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/iran-thank-tijuana-after-world-cup-exit-support-mexico-second-team-2026-06-30/

The EU's database complex - the EES and ETIAS

• PI on EU travel surveillance from 2020 https://privacyinternational.org/explainer/4119/travel-surveillance-eu

• Statewatch on the ETIAS

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