{"id":3348,"date":"2025-12-27T17:29:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T17:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=3348"},"modified":"2025-12-27T17:29:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T17:29:07","slug":"a-new-dna-law-just-hit-us-airports-heres-everything-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=3348","title":{"rendered":"A new \u2018DNA\u2019 law just hit US airports \u2014 here\u2019s everything you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A new customs law is now in effect for non-citizens entering or leaving the\u00a0US<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 and it gives officials the power to request your DNA.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration has made sweeping changes to the American travel system.<\/p>\n

The government recently\u00a0raised the cost of the ESTA<\/a>\u00a0for travellers heading to the States, and added five countries- Burkina Faso, Mali,\u00a0Niger<\/a>, South\u00a0Sudan<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Syria<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 to its travel ban, which will come in on January 1.<\/p>\n

But parts of the latest development border on dystopian.<\/p>\n

\n
A new biometric data collection system implemented on December 26 means travellers will be subjected to facial recognition photos<\/a>\u00a0at the airport, according to Reuters.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

These images will be matched to existing records and stored for up to 75 years, essentially a lifetime.<\/p>\n

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In more extreme cases, the\u00a0Department of Homeland Security<\/a>\u00a0will have the power to request additional biometric information, such as fingerprints or DNA, if you are not a US citizen.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Biometric<\/div>
Facial recognition is becoming a staple of US travel (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This policy essentially increases the scope of what officials can legally ask you for at the airport.<\/p>\n

It also eliminates any age restrictions that previously protected children and the elderly from these data collections.<\/p>\n

Until now, travellers under the age of 14 and over the age of 79 were exempt from these biometric data collections, but now anyone can be subjected to these measures.<\/p>\n

The use of biometrics has concerned some watchdog groups after a 2024 report by the\u00a0US Commission on Civil Rights<\/a>\u00a0claimed tests had shown facial recognition software was more likely to misidentify black people and ethnic minority groups.<\/p>\n

The new law is intended to \u2018deter the filing of frivolous claims and provide operational consistency\u2019, according to the newsroom release by the American\u00a0government<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Finger<\/div>
The US could ask you for fingerprints or DNA in some circumstances (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It added that these biometrics will \u2018generally\u2019 not take biometrics from people unless they\u2019re in \u2018removal proceedings\u2019 and have a pending application or petition filed with the Executive Office for Immigration Review.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all part of President Donald Trump\u2019s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and reduce the number of people overstaying their visas.<\/p>\n

What do people think of this new policy?<\/h2>\n

There are plenty of people who have thoughts on the new policy, but for some, it feels like something out of a Sci-Fi movie.<\/p>\n

\u2018Unnecessary and dystopian,\u2019 wrote @VAwarrior87 on X.<\/p>\n

Another shared: \u2018Trump is going to completely kill international tourism.\u2019<\/p>\n

Others complained \u2018tourists will stop coming\u2019 and said \u2018actively trying to tank your own tourism industry is certainly a choice\u2019.<\/p>\n

One X user @salsbudxe even wrote: \u2018We are losing our autonomy slowly but surely. We shouldn\u2019t force on other countries what we do not want in our own \u2013 facial recognition, digital ID, trackers etc.\u2019<\/p>\n

What else may be reviewed by US officials?<\/h2>\n

New US vetting policies don\u2019t stop there though.<\/p>\n

Five years of\u00a0social media<\/a>\u00a0history, telephone numbers, emails, and family members\u2019 names could be shared with Border Control for travellers going to the United States.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Man<\/div>
US security just went up a notch (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Travellers from 42 countries, including the UK, could soon be subject to searches while going on holiday abroad if a new proposition is passed.<\/p>\n

In a proposal filed by the\u00a0US<\/a>\u00a0Customs and Border Protection, social media would be considered a mandatory data element for anyone applying for an ESTA.<\/p>\n

It cited\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s Executive Order 14161, which focused on \u2018protecting citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.\u2019<\/p>\n

Essentially, it would make the screening process more rigorous for those trying to visit the US.<\/p>\n

\n

What information would travellers be required to provide?<\/h2>\n
\n
    \n
  • Business telephone numbers used in the last five years<\/li>\n
  • Business email addresses used in the last ten years<\/li>\n
  • Telephone numbers used in the last five years<\/li>\n
  • Email addresses used in the last ten years<\/li>\n
  • IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos<\/li>\n
  • Family\u00a0member names (parents, spouse, siblings, children)<\/li>\n
  • Family number telephone numbers used in the last five years<\/li>\n
  • Family member dates of birth<\/li>\n
  • Family members\u2019 places of birth<\/li>\n
  • Family member residencies<\/li>\n
  • Biometrics \u2013 face, fingerprint, DNA, and iris<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      A new customs law is now in effect for non-citizens entering or leaving the\u00a0US\u00a0\u2014 and it gives officials the power to request your DNA. The Trump administration has made sweeping changes to the American travel system. The government recently\u00a0raised the cost of the ESTA\u00a0for travellers heading to the States, and added five countries- Burkina […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t