sounds to me like racial profiling. I am really curious how much this is helping in terms of false positives, and false negatives. I believe in data, and i am just curious about the numbers, so i could be convinced about its usefulness.
As coming from somewhat chaotic part of the world to have some peaceful life, the hoops I had to jump through (visas, immigration, airport checks, constant secondary inspections etc), it really bothers me. Mind you, I am a white male with very good educational background in my own country, and in the US. Hard to imagine what it is like for some other people who may not be as lucky as I am.
Either way, as much as I dislike US immigration and so on, I cannot complain. This country provides me the opportunities that I have been working for, and I am grateful.
Right, the data. So the proper way to do this would be to set up a massive A/B test, with everyone entering the US to be randomly assigned to one of two groups - either you're put into the hierarchical filter and you're profiled based on broad first-level parameters, or you're put into the fine filter and you're forcibly opted in into intensive surveillance for the next couple of years or so. Then measure the false positives, hits, and misses and take a decision.
Seems to me that this step is probably the first of several by the US immigration to get this data and justify the move away from broad profiling (which they've taken flak for), towards the need for more intense profiling (which they're also taking flak for).
Assuming you were serious, a/b testing works only when you can determine the value of the outcome. How many of the millions of people who pass through immigration need to be rejected for reasons of national security?
As coming from somewhat chaotic part of the world to have some peaceful life, the hoops I had to jump through (visas, immigration, airport checks, constant secondary inspections etc), it really bothers me. Mind you, I am a white male with very good educational background in my own country, and in the US. Hard to imagine what it is like for some other people who may not be as lucky as I am.
Either way, as much as I dislike US immigration and so on, I cannot complain. This country provides me the opportunities that I have been working for, and I am grateful.