By John Q. Hosedrinker 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is expanding its facial biometric program to include photographs of Canadians entering and exiting the country at all points of entry. This expansion follows the current practice of photographing arriving international passengers at airports and is set to be mandatory for non-U.S. citizens, including Canadians, starting December 26th. The program aims to ensure accurate records, enhance security, and enforce immigration laws, while also helping to track those who overstay their visas. However, privacy concerns have been raised, particularly regarding the potential for misuse of collected data.
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Okay, so here’s the deal: The U.S. is going to start photographing Canadian travelers when they enter *and* exit at all land borders and airports. Sounds like a big deal, right? Well, the general consensus seems to be… not really. A lot of people are shrugging it off.
It turns out, this isn’t exactly groundbreaking news. Plenty of other countries have been doing this for ages, and many of us are already familiar with it. Think about it – entering a foreign country is usually a process involving some form of identification check, and these days that often includes a picture. I’ve heard stories of this happening in places like Europe, Japan, South Korea, China, and even Canada itself. Seems like the use of arrival kiosks in places like Toronto or Montreal that take your picture is already a well established protocol.
The general sentiment seems to be “it’s just what they do.” It’s part of the process of crossing a border and entering another country. Most travellers have been getting their picture taken for years now. I’ve got coworkers who frequently travel to the states for work and this is a well known requirement. The expectation is that you will provide the necessary information, and that could include a photograph, as a standard security measure. It’s really not that different from presenting your passport or driver’s license.
Now, let’s talk about the practical side of this. The U.S. has been doing this when people *enter*, but the new aspect is extending it to *exits*, specifically at land borders. That means they’ll need to update the infrastructure at those border crossings, possibly revamp the layout to accommodate this new procedure and add more border agents to implement it. That sounds like a significant investment of time and money, but hey, if it’s considered necessary for security, so be it.
Some people feel that this kind of policy might send the wrong message. It could be seen as an indication that the relationship between the U.S. and Canada has become somewhat strained or that Canadians are being treated with increased suspicion. This contrasts with the simpler border crossings of the past, like when people just drove across with a quick flash of ID.
However, many people aren’t really bothered by the situation. They view it as a normal part of international travel, something they’re already used to. They’ve been getting their pictures taken for years in all sorts of places, and it hasn’t really changed their experience. Some even joke about it, hoping they’re captured from their best angle.
There are, of course, other viewpoints on this. Some people see this as just another example of increased surveillance and data collection, a way of harvesting visitor data for reasons that may not be clear. The feeling is that the government is just making it easier for tech companies to harvest data, which is an increasingly unpleasant thought. The current administration has been cited as a reason for some of the increased security and tighter policies. Some people have taken to boycotting American industries for this very reason. It is believed that Canadian tourism to the United States has dropped, as a direct result.
Regardless of the reasons, this new policy, while potentially inconvenient, likely won’t be a dealbreaker for most Canadian travelers. The fact that many other countries already have similar procedures, combined with the familiarity of being photographed upon entering the US, suggests that it will be something people adapt to with relative ease.