Not Giving Away Your Biometric Data at Airports

We’ve all been through airports as we travel and we all know what they’re like today. Photos, fingerprints, full body scans and X-Rays. Some of us saw the change. When we first left to travel full-time time, the body scanners were just rolling out. But what if you knew that most of these biometric data-gathering devices were maybe not compulsory?

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It’s quicker and easier when you travel internationally to just march through the scanners, complying at every step. I’m guilty of this, I gave up after the pandemic lockdowns. I’ll tell you why, and try to point you in the direction of more information on this.

Maybe, if you stand your ground and know your rights, all you need to show is your face and your passport,

Biometric Scanners At Airports

Until this morning, I wasn’t aware that most of the scans may not be compulsory.

On our first flight after the pandemic, I was forced to go through a body scanner. It was extremely traumatic for me. I requested a pat-down instead and was denied by a horrible woman with a bad attitude.

A few of our followers on Facebook gave me abuse for being upset over this. That didn’t help. People on social media lose all common decency too often. It’s a toxic place to be.

I thought that was it, we all just have to comply with the scans and cameras from now on. Honestly, I was so traumatised by that experience that I was too scared to stand my ground again.

For years, we’d requested pat-downs at airports, and it had never been an issue. I remember doing this successfully in Bangkok and London, I think it was Heathrow.

I particularly didn’t want my kids going through those scanning machines, and I knew that they were damaging to human health.

It seems that maybe, and I don’t know for sure, that this woman’s actions weren’t authorised.

From that point on, I gave up. Where possible, we still pick the line without the body scanner, which is still an option at times.

If you watch the video below, this family have travelled extensively requesting manual processing only. It’s taken a little extra time, but they were able to do it.

You need to state that you do not comply or that you opt out, and, apparently, this is fine. It’s something worth thinking about.

It also seems that you don’t actually have to pay the “tourist tax” at times. I’ve noticed this on arrival in Bali, nobody has asked for receipts. It’s worth looking into.

From now on, I’ll be reading that small print, as this lady does, and using paper tickets and boarding passes. I don’t want to be scanned like a box of cereal.

You may know that we’ve already left Facebook and Instagram, and it’s great. Our days are so much fuller. We also quit supermarkets and shop with cash at the farmer’s market. There, we can interact with humans, not machines. It’s also saved us a lot of money and is better for our health.

The “Living Differently” theme started a long time ago for us, homebirth, homeschool, opting out of normal. It was mostly just instinct, a feeling, plus some knowledge. We never set out to be rebellious; we just wanted the best family life we could achieve.

It seems we’re still not being normal in today’s world.

I’m not travelling right now through choice. We’re sitting tight to see what happens until early next year.

We’re doing our best not to be digitised and to spend time in nature, with family, and not attached to phones. My phone is off, and in my bag. If needs must, I’ll not own a phone. I don’t need it. But then, I’ve never been addicted to phones. My kids are, sadly, I’m working on fixing that. At least they didn’t have phones until their mid-teens and do not use most social media. Give the video above a watch; it’s certainly thought-provoking, and I really admire these people for doing what they do. Would you dare to try it?

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