7 ms·
– (1) “Do you live in the UK?” / Alternative: “What is your occupation?” – (2) “How long do you stay?” – (3) “What do you do in the UK?” These are the question
by conistonwater 6y ago
– (1) “Do you live in the UK?” / Alternative: “What is your occupation?”
– (2) “How long do you stay?”
– (3) “What do you do in the UK?”
These are the questions I always get every time I cross any border anywhere except the border (on the way in) of my own country. I don't get this bit.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- implements 6y agoTo risk assess wether you have strong roots in the UK, and so are unlikely to overstay and work illegally in whatever country you’re visiting.
- raverbashing 6y agoYes, and? Countries have the right to decide who they want to let in or not
- jstanley 6y agoWhy?
- eitland 6y agoBecause thats how countries have decided it should be. Also removing that rule overnight would cause a lot of chaos.
- mellosouls 6y agoBecause unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world where everybody behaves in good faith. Borders are just one of the tools - but a significant one - established societies can use to ameliorate that.
- dvivsivd 6y agoFor the same reasons I have to pay taxes. Men with guns enforce laws. Good laws, bad laws, whatever. More men with more guns than you and all your pals enforce laws that you are subject to.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- tremon 6y agoThat's a peculiar use of right though. People have rights; countries have sovereignty.
- eli 6y agoI think the point is being asked routine questions at the border is not necessarily a sign that the CIA is following you
- implements 6y agoOf-course - I was just answering OP’s query about why they get occupation questions at the border - probably to help spot if they were a potential illegal migrant (no ties to home) or a smuggler’s mule (income doesn’t match journey type).
- StavrosK 6y agoBut it looks like if the CIA is following you you will be asked routine questions at the border.
- eli 6y agoThat is the nature of something being routine.
- jonathanstrange 6y agoNot necessarily, but if you're a well known hacker who is active since 80s and about to visit Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy and the questions appear to be asked mainly to stall you, then MI5 could be involved. At least it's a possible interpretation.
- roywiggins 6y agoYeah, no doubt MI5 could be involved, but it's not very strong evidence on its own, is it?
- jonathanstrange 6y agoHe also doesn't claim that it's strong evidence on its own. That uncertainty is actually part of what the talk is about. The evidence must be taken in combination with other issues, e.g. his claim that the Brits do not even try to hide their surveillance (and therefore have been photographed) and the sophisticated surveillance device he found in his crypto phone.
- agilob 6y agoHe was crossing from Germany/Switzerland to the UK. 99.9% of people are never asked any questions. I've been travelling like this for over 10 years, a few times per year and was asked only once "do you live here?". I would be pissed if they asked me such questions.
- Fnoord 6y agoI always got these questions when I went via Eurotunnel to UK, but never got asked any questions when I left UK via the same transport (and I'm Dutch, not French). I found it very peculiar, given I remained within EU at such times. Now with Brexit, I feel like "whatever".
- jason0597 6y agoThat doesn't make any sense. I'm from Greece and I've travelled to the UK many times from Greece. I've never been interrogated at the UK border. (bar Brexit)
- Fnoord 6y agoI have, and not just me. Everyone who was part of the bus I traveled with. So it wasn't a special treatment. I'd like to go to London at some point again, with my family (ie. not work related). Supposedly train from Amsterdam to London is only 4 hours, so its an attractive travel/stay.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- flotzam 6y ago‘Later I realized that the border police uncle did not even listen to my answers, sometimes repeated question1 after answering question3. Turned out to be a delay tactic until green light on the screen; propably “team to follow me through my stay” was ready :/’ (page 11)
- roywiggins 6y agoThey ask these questions routinely and they're not particularly interested in the answer. They're interested in whether you can answer them fluently without stumbling or sounding evasive. Whether they were used as a delay tactic in this case, I couldn't say. Surely they could just leave you waiting while they "looked something up" or "waited for the computer system"? It's not like you have any choice but to wait.
- secfirstmd 6y agoAlso it gives time for various IMSI and surveillance related tools to function.
- roywiggins 6y agoHeck, I've been quizzed this way by agents of the US while returning to the US, as a citizen, from abroad. What's your job, what did you do on your trip, how long was it. This was before I got on the plane, in a foreign airport. They aren't interested in the answer, they're interested in whether you have a ready answer and don't sound evasive.
- gruez 6y ago>They aren't interested in the answer, they're interested in whether you have a ready answer and don't sound evasive. It doesn't seem too hard to remember the answers to four questions and practice it beforehand.
- Kalium 6y agoYou're absolutely right, it doesn't seem difficult at all. That said, have you ever had stage fright? It's pretty common. Practice often seems to melt away when an actual performance is at hand. With that in mind, it's perhaps not unreasonable to think that this particular bar - quite low as you rightly and wisely point out it seems to be - will trip up no few liars at scale.
- roywiggins 6y agoIt's probably harder if you you're a first-time drug mule or whatever. This isn't designed to catch out international terrorists so much as people with illegal substances in their underpants. And of course there are follow-ups: I got asked what programming languages I use at work. All very casual-like.