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Lying to them is a serious criminal offense carrying (IIRC) up to 5 years in prison. Even a harmless fib counts.

• martinko 9y ago
  Jesus. I will seriously try to avoid ever having to travel to the US in this climate.
  • dx034 9y ago
    That lying at the border is a serious offence is neither new nor US specific.
  • praneshp 9y ago
    Where will you travel to that allows lying to agents at the border?
• celticninja 9y ago
  But I am not lying, I dont have facebook, or twitter or snapchat. How do I prove I dont have these accounts? What if I do have a FB account that i signed up for years ago, never use, forgot to delete, dont know the password for? Do I get a stay in prison for that?
  • Noseshine 9y ago
    No, his point is that if you are lying they have an instrument to use against you. Similar to how they got Al Capone, where they didn't have to go through the trouble of having to prove his actual crimes in court. It isn't about you individually, it's about big numbers, statistics. It's just an additional tool in their arsenal. Similar to why doctors perform standard exams even when you come in and complain about something where that particular exam seems ridiculously wrong. The procedures are not invented new each time for every person, they are based on what works "statistically". On that level they found that in (some low) x percent of cases having such a signature helps, so they include that question. And occasionally they even catch someone gullible to, or who can't manage their emotions, but that's just an additional bonus and not even the main reason for the question(s).