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Been fingerprinted?

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Huck

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 6, 2001
Posts
1,076
A friend of mine is pursuing legal action to keep the FAA from reguiring his fingerprints because he is an airline pilot. Evidently, after 9/11 a rule was issued that all airline pilots were to be printed as part of background checks.

He is upset that the prints are going to the government, not his employer, and concerned as to the privacy implications. Have any of you been required to submit to fingerprinting? Not as new hires, but just because you are an airline pilot?
 
Huck,

Your friend isn't the brightest spot on the sun. Fingerprints must be verified through government sources, because no private agency maintains a fingerprint database. Specifically, the fingerprints will be referred to his state agency, and to the FBI. All the fingerprints do is work to clear him.

Will they go into a data base? Yes, probably. So what?

It's about security, not big brother. The person who fears the government getting a copy of his fingerprints probably spends far too much time contemplating black helicopters, looking for the second and third gunmen, and should spent his free time sewing his fingers to his chest to dispose of his real fingerprints (been done, and caught).

I just got fingerprinted for the umpteenth millionth time to get a three week pass to fly in an out of SLC during the course of the olympics. I got my ID yesteday. Not a big deal.

Of curiosity, is your friend from a certain western state that happens to thrive on lawsuits?
 
Avbug,
Huck's friend may not be the brightest spot on the sun but neither are you. So what if he doesn't want to be fingerprinted as part of his employment. Would fingerprinting have prevented the 9-11 attacks? Did he have to be fingerprinted as part of his job interview for his current job? Did any employed part 121 pilots participate in the 9-11 attacks? This is just more bull%hit that is an answer to a question that wasn't asked. My two cents.
 
What exactly has changed? People have been killing each other since cain killed abel. People have been killing each other with airplanes as the tool since they were invented. And the ignorant have been blissfully unaware of all this.
 
Interestingly, our company security guru told us just today (yep, we had class on Sunday--for six hours no less--on security issues) that we should expect to have our fingerprints taken once in NYC during our last three days of training prior to IOE.

As the Air Force has previously taken my fingerprints, footprints and DNA, repositing the data who knows where, this new development does not bother me in the least. Like most of the "compliant" military types, I don't worry about Big Brother too much. If this step allows the FAA to arrive at a reasonable plan for issuing a national Pilot Identification, I'm all for it. Am I worried that the gov't will have the ability to track me down if I rob a church and leave my paw prints? Well, if I'm stupid enough to do the crime, guess I'll do the time. Do I think the fingerprinting process is intrusive? Maybe, but then I believe I'll actually benefit from the process and the subsequent ID generated from the friendly folks in Oklahoma City.

That ID, combined with some sort of verification process (iris scan, palm print, tongue diameter...) will make the jumpseat a viable option once again for off-line types and will provide the somewhat edgy and overwhelmed security types at the screening points less reason to perform "WWF Ultimate Pat Down" procedures on our fellow pilots and crews.

Heck, in short, my data's already out there....this is simply not a big deal to me anymore.
 
I paid $80 to get finger printed by San juan Int'l security - who sent them to the FBI.

The report that came back on any arrests doesn't say whether you were found innocent, or received a misdemeanor or felony - just that you were arrested in the last ten years.

I was grounded for a week until I proved my innocence after the documents were faxed from california (for possession of stolen property - five or six years ago).

Of course, my boss assumed I'd stolen BMW, etc.
 
my .02... I agree with huck's friend...

The privacy issue is not for today, but for years from now...

Unfortunately some years from now a bill may be passed that is attached to some other less "noticable" bill that will have implications. It happens all of the time.

Years ago you did not have to give your SS # for a drivers license, now you do. Why do you? well one of the many reasons if for deadbeat dad's. If you are behind in support they can revoke your driving privilages. It was orginally used to prevent fraud, but through the legal system it found "other" ways to be used.

So what could happen with the fingerprints? who knows? but it is yet another way for an individual to be identified whether it is for a "good" or "bad" purpose.


I am with eagleflip, they have had mine for years and I have given them my prints more times than I can count. I just am not thrilled about what "may" happen because at that time it is already too late...
 
Back Ground Checks

Any "true" background check for a good government, security & exchange, or aviation job would and should include finger printing. The Government has the only database to use / search prints.

Having prints on file makes a lot of sense and for any real background check is mandatory. Hair samples, insurance and medical records, DNA are a far different matter.
 

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