The CIA fears high-tech customs checks, writes Jeff Stein: "The increasing deployment of iris scanners and biometric passports at worldwide airports, hotels and business headquarters, designed to catch terrorists and criminals, are playing havoc with operations that require CIA spies to travel under false identities." [Wired]

  • http://www.facebook.com/dtobias Daniel Tobias

    So, one arm of the intrusive security state is interfering with the other?

  • Guest

    Awwww, their best laid plans are biting them in the ass.

    quelle fucking surprise.

  • dragonfrog

    Shock!  Horror!  The systems designed to prevent people from committing crimes are preventing us from committing crimes!

    • retepslluerb

      It’s not a crime when your spies do it on foreign soil. Then it’s a heroic deed.

  • teknocholer

    The irony. It tickles.

  • http://echofox3.blogspot.com efergus3

    BOO HOO.

  • http://disqus.com/Kimmoth/ Kimmo

    They’ll likely come up with some kind of fudge that’ll leave the biometrics system wide open ; )

  • http://weirdly.net Jacob Ewing

    Hoist by their own petard it would seem.

  • Phil Fot

    I think in this instance, a rousing chorus of “TOUGH SHIT!” from everyone in the house is appropriate.

    Can it please be regime change time?

  • fry188

    For some reason, I read the headline as “High-tech border collies stymie spies.”  That would’ve been awesome.

    • Liz Stevenson

      I also read border collies. lulz.

  • CastanhasDoPara

    Well isn’t that just a crying shame.

    A bit of advice for the spooks bawling like little kids with skinned knees:  GO EF YER SELVES FOR A CHANGE!

  • penguinchris

    I’ve considered this possibility, because when I travel I often feel restricted. Like you always have to have a “valid” reason to travel somewhere, or you’re met with lots of suspicion. I’ve felt this primarily at international borders, but even traveling within the US as well.

    We here all know that it’s getting worse, and we understand the danger of “papieren, bitte”, but most people don’t – so I’m very glad to see that it’s not just the average person who’s feeling the pain of not being able to travel freely.

  • http://twitter.com/dargaud Guillaume Dargaud

    I’m kind of thinking that not allowing spied to travel even outweights the benefit of not allowing terrorists to travel…  The title could have been ‘Police states bite the hand that fed them’. It feels so good.

  • http://www.batshite.com/royalflush Scott Bartlett

    First world problems lolz!

    This reminds me of the other day when I couldn’t decide between popcorn seasonings.

  • AnthonyC

    Hooray!