a new Biographical Questionnaire for some passport applicants

[Ed Jewett]

State Dept. Proposes Creepy, Impossible-To-Answer Questions for Passport Applications
Monday, April 25th, 2011
Not really sure what to make of this, other than that it's disturbing:

The U.S. Department of State is proposing a new Biographical Questionnaire for some passport applicants: The proposed new Form DS-5513 asks for all addresses since birth; lifetime employment history including employers' and supervisors names, addresses, and telephone numbers; personal details of all siblings; mother's address one year prior to your birth; any "religious ceremony" around the time of birth; and a variety of other information. According to the proposed form, "failure to provide the information requested may result in … the denial of your U.S. passport application."

The State Department estimated that the average respondent would be able to compile all this information in just 45 minutes, which is obviously absurd given the amount of research that is likely to be required to even attempt to complete the form.

It seems likely that only some, not all, applicants will be required to fill out the new questionnaire, but no criteria have been made public for determining who will be subjected to these additional new written interrogatories. So if the passport examiner wants to deny your application, all they will have to do is give you the impossible new form to complete.

It's not clear from the supporting statement, statement of legal authorities, or regulatory assessment submitted by the State Department to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) why declining to discuss one's siblings or to provide the phone number of your first supervisor when you were a teenager working at McDonalds would be a legitimate basis for denial of a passport to a U.S. citizen.

The new questions also ask for the names and contact information of all witnesses to your birth.

Reads like a tool to allow the State Department to turn down a passport when they can't find a more legitimate reason.

(Via boingboing.)

http://www.theagitator.com/2011/04/25/st...lications/

[Magda Hassan]

I'd fail at some thing like that right away. I actually have a very good memory for some things, eg phone numbers since 5 years old but there are tons of things I can't recall like people I worked with even when they remember me and remind me it takes me quite a while to click. Addresses, too many and I don't care. What does this even prove? That only people with good memories can have a passport? Even if they go and check all these supervisors and such what if they have bad memories and can't remember the passport applicant? What is to say they're going to be co-operative or even care? The whole exercise is stupid.

Though part of me does think that the more Americans that have to stay away from other countries may not be such a bad thing but somehow I don't think this will apply to the military. :pinkelephant:

[Christer Forslund]

However, it would be interesting if mr. B. Obama filled in such a Biographical Questionnaire, and it was made public:

Form DS-5513 asks for all addresses since birth; lifetime employment history including employers' and supervisors names, addresses, and telephone numbers...

Some questions around his earlier employment, etc. could at last be answered!

[Magda Hassan]

Yes, Christer that would be good but they've already created a file for him. Damn. angryfire

[Peter Lemkin]

I'd fail at some thing like that right away. I actually have a very good memory for some things, eg phone numbers since 5 years old but there are tons of things I can't recall like people I worked with even when they remember me and remind me it takes me quite a while to click. Addresses, too many and I don't care. What does this even prove? That only people with good memories can have a passport? Even if they go and check all these supervisors and such what if they have bad memories and can't remember the passport applicant? What is to say they're going to be co-operative or even care? The whole exercise is stupid.

Though part of me does think that the more Americans that have to stay away from other countries may not be such a bad thing but somehow I don't think this will apply to the military. :pinkelephant:

In the USA, I am officially denied my credit history [in order to correct or challenge it] as I can not remember all the addresses I lived....they know this because they already have this data...when I don't produce 100% correctly, my credit history is denied. I have, due to poverty, persecution and forced movement by the police and intelligence agencies, death threats and years of homelessness [camping if not in my car] to move in my life over 100 times..maybe more like 200...and they expect me to memorize them...?! 'They' also confiscated all of my personal records which might have contained some. Fuck the USA.:flypig: Fuck Corporate Fascism. [same thing]