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Comment by jedberg | Hacker News Reader

The government already has my fingerprints, because I had to give them to get a passport (edit: I've been informed this was only because I also did Global Entry) and also when I was in elementary school they fingerprinted everyone and also when I got my driver's license.

Pretty much if you're a US citizen they already have your fingerprints.

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U.S. passports do not require getting fingerprinted. U.S. Visas require fingerprinting.

I don't think fingerprinting kids is universal or even the norm. I haven't found anything that says it's required anywhere. I have found information about parents having their child's fingerprints in their own records and examples of programs emphasizing that only the family has the record, they're not kept by local government, let alone in a federal system.

https://www.usa.gov/passport

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-inf...

https://www.pcsdma.org/fingerprint.html

https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2006/july/idk...

I remember cops coming to my elementary school (this would have been around 1995) and fingerprinting everyone “for fun”.

I had this happen too. We put our fingerprints onto an "ID" card we got to keep. As far as I remember the fingerprints didn't actually go anywhere else.

> Pretty much if you're a US citizen they already have your fingerprints.

False. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-app...

My spouse and I renewed our passports in the last 10 years, and got our kids passports for the first time. We did not provide fingerprints.

I am a U.S. citizen. I went through an SF86 clearance in the early 2000s and don't recall even that requiring my fingerprints (but I could be wrong about that). I only recall giving up my fingerprints twice:

1. To unlock my Apple devices, safely locked in a secure enclave. 2. For TSA Pre.

I distinctly remember getting fingerprinted for my clearance paperwork. And those that get TS/SCI have to get polygraph test every couple years.

You didn't have to give your fingerprints when you got a driver's license?

Where on earth would people accept such an encroachment on their privacy and right to unreasonable search and seizure just to obtain proof they have passed an examination? Soviet Russia? The DDR? Orwell's Oceania?

It isn't just proof you passed an exam -- it's also your ID card. The fingerprints are part of your government ID. Here in California you have to give a thumbprint or fingerprint to get both a license and a state issued ID card. The license serves as both proof of passing and as an ID so you don't need two cards.

Here in California everyone who has a driver's license had to have a fingerprint/thumbprint taken.

No, never. I’ve had licenses in FL, GA, NC and CA.

They for sure took your fingerprints in California. It's required to get a license.

Search this for fingerprint: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/california-driver-handboo...

You may just not remember because it's electronic.

And it was 20 years ago...

I got my license in California in 1993 and it was required then too. I remember because we made fun of how the driver handbook said, "you must provide your thumbprint, or your fingerprint if you have no thumbs".

There are multiple clearances with different requirements, so it is possible that certain types require finger prints while others do not. However, AFAIK everybody who gets a clearance also has their fingerprints taken. The finger prints may not be available to regular LEO for dragnets to reduce the chance of leaking out the personal information of every cleared individual to foreign agents that have infiltrated law enforcement.

> However, AFAIK everybody who gets a clearance also has their fingerprints taken.

Ah, you’re right. I just found some correspondence related to the clearance and I did indeed provide fingerprints. The company I was working for at the time apparently was working with the NSA. I have almost no recollection of this. Maybe the MIB wiped my mind.

> finger prints may not be available to regular LEO for dragnets to reduce the chance of leaking out the personal information of every cleared individual to foreign agents that have infiltrated law enforcement.

I don’t know how far back this leak went, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my info was part of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Personnel_Management...

> because I had to give them to get a passport

As far as I know that isn't a requirement for a standard US Passport (maybe a Diplomatic/Government/Service passport?).

Who even would take the fingerprints? I went to the USPS, and they just checked the form, stamped it a few times, and shipped it along with my supporting documents off.

> also when I was in elementary school they fingerprinted everyone.

That also isn't standard/normal.

Finger prints for passports is not a thing.

> when I was in elementary school they fingerprinted everyone

Yes, they put it on your permanent record which any govt official can access using a simple zoom and enhance.

You joke but the permanent record is a real thing. My wife taught elementary school for many years, and at the end of the year she had to update all the permanent records and then pass them on to the next teacher. The records moved with you from school to school.

Some High Schools allow you to request your permanent record when you graduate, most just destroy them.

But yes, a government official can get a copy with a warrant just like any other record.

Didn’t have to fingerprint for a passport, but did for a Texas driver’s license with some hand wavy reason I don’t remember.

That was only true for a relatively short period of time.

https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-no-longer-collecting-all-10-...

Doesn't mean they didn't keep the records

The article you linked says they will collect a single finger print for a driver's license, they no longer collect all 10.

I don’t remember having fingerprints done for my passport, though it was twenty years ago. Did that change?

Definitely! Or if you’re a green card/visa holder.

If you need a U.S. Visa, fingerprints are required. U.S. citizens and people from Visa Waiver countries don't need to be fingerprinted.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-inf...

Oh, good to know! I thought so, my wife had hers taken when she got her passport. Maybe because it was at an embassy? Either way, thanks for the clarification.

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