Border Officials To Start Sharing Data About U.S., Canadian Travellers | CBC News

Border agents will be able to share information about U.S. and Canadian citizens more freely as the third phase of a 2011 border agreement meant to make it easier for trade and travel across the Canada-U.S. border comes into effect. It was announced on Thursday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency will exchange biographic data, travel documents, and other information related to border crossings of U.S. and Canadian citizens. Read full story here: Border Officials To Start Sharing Data About U.S., Canadian Travellers | CBC News

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Passport Power: How Does Canada Stack Up Against The World? | Lifestyle From CTV News

Some Asian passports are becoming the most valuable for travellers seeking easy access to as many countries as possible, while Canadian passports are a little more powerful than they used to be. The newest update to the Henley Passport Index, which ranks passports based on their ability to facilitate visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to as many countries as possible, places Canada in a seven-way tie for 16th place. Although the index lists the seven countries as being ranked sixth, there are 15 countries ahead of them. Read full story here:…

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Bias At The Border? CBSA Study Finds Travellers From Some Countries Face More Delays | CBC News

The Canada Border Services Agency is conducting a series of tests to learn if its human agents, and its passport-reading machines, are prone to discriminating against certain kinds of travellers. The CBSA’s research to date, obtained by CBC News through Access to Information requests, suggests that most of the discrepancies in the treatment of different nationalities and ethnicities at Canada’s international airports are driven by procedures, rather than prejudice. Read full story here: Bias At The Border? CBSA Study Finds Travellers From Some Countries Face More Delays | CBC News

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US Border Officers Don’t Always Delete Collected Traveler Data | Engadget

Privacy advocates aren’t just concerned about warrantless device searches at the border because of the potential for deliberate abuse — it’s that the officials might be reckless. And unfortunately, there’s evidence this is the case in the US. Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General has released audit findings showing that Customs and Border Protection officers didn’t properly follow data handling procedures in numerous instances, increasing the chances for data leaks and hurting accountability. Read full story here: US Border Officers Don’t Always Delete Collected Traveler Data | Engadget

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Will Canada Become The Next Country To Offer Mobile Passports? Feds Studying Idea Despite Privacy Fears – National | Globalnews.ca

Immigration officials are exploring the idea of allowing Canadians to renew or potentially use their passports via mobile apps on their phones. If you have a Canadian passport, you know the deal. Every five to 10 years, you go through the process of filling out forms, gathering photos and references and mailing it all in to Passport Canada, all in the name of renewing the little blue booklet that lets Canadians travel abroad. Once at the airport, you take it out for check-in, during security screenings, to show the gate…

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