p2pnet news view | P2P | Politics:- As of yesterday, people from Britain, Germany, Japan, Australia, “and a host of other countries,” had to register online with the US Department of Homeland Security before they’d be allowed to travel into the US, says CNet News.

As part of, “efforts to use technology to improve border security,” the DHS is, “mandating that travelers from any of the 35 countries in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program apply online for an Electronic System of Travel Authorization (ESTA) before boarding a plane to the U.S.,” says the story.

ESTA is, “free and available in 16 languages,” says the site. “For non-technical inquires concerning ESTA, please contact ESTA@CBP.DHS.gov. You should expect to receive a response within 72 hours.”

“Previously, visitors from those countries were only required to fill out the I-94W form on flights to the U.S. for trips shorter than 90 days,” says CNet adding, “If a traveler does not have Internet access, the DHS says in its ESTA FAQ (PDF) that “a third party, such as a relative, friend, or travel agent, may submit an ESTA application on behalf of the traveler.”

Soon, the US will need a special computer system and special ESTA agents to handle its truly magnificent collection of digitised personal data from hundreds of millions of people from around the world.

CNet News – U.S. visitors required to register online, January 12, 2009

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 11:27 am and is filed under P2P, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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