Quiz

Question 4

Have you ever flown internationally to or from the US?

Because you've flown internationally

When you check in for any international flight to, from, or that flies over the U.S., your personal data and itinerary is shared with Customs and Border Protection (CBP). They receive it via the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS)Opens in new tab. A CBP or TSA officer scans your passport or ID, pulling up your full name, date of birth, and citizenship. This can then be used to retrieve information about your scheduled flight. This data is used to create “passenger manifests,” which are commercial airline records sent to CBP for vetting in real-time. CBP vets every single passenger before they board.

ICE is also able to subscribe to TECS/ICMOpens in new tab notifications. These “lookouts” inform them when someone they are surveilling is traveling abroad.

Some data systems you may encounter if you fly internationally include Passenger Name Records (PNR)Opens in new tab, the Automated Targeting System (ATS)Opens in new tab, Analytical Framework for Intelligence (AFI)Opens in new tab, third-party vendors that handle reservations and booking, and commercial airline databases.

To see what databases would track you if your answer had been no, click the no button.

If you've ever crossed a border

You can be in these systems even if you haven’t flown internationally. If you’ve passed through a US border checkpoint in a car, bus, on a boat, or on foot, you have a “permanent record” on file that details your journey and identity.

Some data systems you might have encountered include Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS)Opens in new tab and TECS/ICMOpens in new tab.

To see what databases would track you if your answer had been yes, click the yes button.

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Of the 13 monsters in this quiz, it looks like your data may be tracked by the following:

But there may be other smaller surveillance databases not covered in the quiz.

You may be asking yourself "What can we do?".

What now?

To learn more, check out the full From Data Criminalization to Prison Abolition Report.

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More about this quiz

There is no single database that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can consult to find a list of everyone they are able to deport.

As a workaround, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cross-checks many existing datasets. They use information from international visitors, visa holders, and arrest and conviction records. These datasets are not always reliable  at determining legal status. They are also deeply flawed, racist, and xenophobic.

More and more, DHS buys data from corporations to supplement their own databases. They can buy archives of location history, face and voice recognition files, and iris scans. Artificial intelligence tools use this data to predict behavior and infer relationships between people, places, and objects (like vehicles).

We spent months researching databases and data-sharing. But contractors and technologies change all the time, and many government data systems are shrouded in secrecy. We do not claim that the databases listed here make up a complete list, nor is it possible to make that list. Rather, we hope that this tool hints at the tangled and complex web of data extraction and criminalization.

The fight against migrant exploitation, racist border securitization, and deportation is a fight against data criminalization. It is a fight for collective self-determination and data liberation. Read more in our full report.