# What is in a passport file? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 21, 2008, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-in-a-passport-file/442246 "2008-03-21T19:02:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-in-a-passport-file/442246/1 "2008-03-21T19:02:24Z")
First Obama, and now Clinton, are upset that their personal passport information has been accessed illegally. What is in a passport file that could be used as political fodder? Wouldn’t it just say when you have left the US and returned, and where you went? Why would that be a big deal? I don’t mean to belittle privacy issues. I think that the government is far too able to keep tabs on citizens. However, Senators Clinton and Obama are, aside from their political aspirations, celebrities. Their travels can’t be any more secret than Lindsey Lohan’s visit to her sick Gramma. What political hay could be made out of where either of these senators spent their vacations? I would imagine that their travel as political officials (or First Lady) are already well documented. Clearly, people at the State Department were willing to sacrifice their careers for whatever tidbits are in the passport files? What makes it worth the trouble? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-in-a-passport-file/442246/2 "2008-03-21T19:23:24Z")
Since personal passport records are probably exempt from FOIA, we will probably never know specifically. Just a WAG but it may be safe to surmise that one’s passport records would contain all the [original application information](http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/100004.pdf) (PDF warning) one sent to the passport office in order to obtain the passport, along with any investigation records in order to issue the passport. That information in and of itself could be substantial as it would list other individuals and their personal details, as well as any report information. Then there are the travel details. These might include any notes complied by immigrations and customs people as you re-entered the country. And since the US shares travel data, one can probably assume there will be data from the countries one has visited. They were not federal employees who got caught. They were contractors. They don’t come under the same ethics, privacy and security constraints as federal employees. At best, they may have done it because curiosity got the best of them. At worst, any one of them did it at the behest of someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-in-a-passport-file/442246/3 "2008-03-21T20:53:11Z")
**Duckster** is mostly right - it’s the application and any accompanying documentation. There are no travel details. That info is tracked and held by DHS, not State. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-in-a-passport-file/442246/4 "2008-03-21T21:04:31Z")
[QUOTE=Surly Chick] **Duckster** is mostly right - it’s the application and any accompanying documentation. There are no travel details. That info is tracked and held by DHS, not State. [/QUOTE] An [article from Time Mag](http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1724759,00.html?cnn=yes) confirms this: > [@](#): > > Called Passport Records, the sensitive computer system includes all documents, photographs and information attached to passport applications and renewals. > … > What kind of personal information do these Passport Records actually contain? Contrary to what you might expect, the system doesn’t have information about your entries into the U.S. (That’s in a separate system run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that actually swipes your passport when you come into the country.) The State Department’s records do, however, hold every application for a passport and copies of any supporting documents like birth or marriage certificates. That application has your address, social security number, phone number, the name and number of your emergency contact and your photograph. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-in-a-passport-file/442246/5 "2008-03-22T03:28:28Z")
[QUOTE=Surly Chick] **Duckster** is mostly right - it’s the application and any accompanying documentation. There are no travel details. That info is tracked and held by DHS, not State. [/QUOTE] But that’s just it. If all there is is an application, then what’s the big deal? I can see its value for someone interested in identity theft, but surely that’s not the case here. Who could want to steal Barrack Obama’s identity and apply for credit and whatnot? There have got to be much easier marks. His birth certificate, marriage certificate, and addresses are already publicly known. Clearly, these contractors needed to be dismissed. However, it still seems like a dumb thing for them (the nosy people) to do. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-in-a-passport-file/442246/6 "2008-03-22T05:58:38Z")
People are stupid. Maybe they just wanted to see his passport photo. ---
**Author:** ![Public\_Animal\_No.9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Public\_Animal\_No.9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Public_Animal_No.9)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-in-a-passport-file/442246/7 "2008-03-22T15:05:35Z")
[QUOTE=Duckster] …They were not federal employees who got caught. They were contractors. They don’t come under the same ethics, privacy and security constraints as federal employees. At best, they may have done it because curiosity got the best of them. At worst, any one of them did it at the behest of someone else. [/QUOTE] Contractors may not be subject to exactly the same regulations as federal employees, but the contract language that they have to adhere to usually has boilerplate clauses that essentially require the same behavior. Whether that’s good or bad, I’ll leave to the reader to decide. FWIW, there are incidents that I’m aware of where a contractor has done something that is in violation of the applicable regs that a fed is subject to. In those cases, the contractor typically gets canned very quickly. It usually takes longer to get rid of a federal employee who does the same thing, and it’s not unusual for the fed to receive some penalty other than being fired (suspension w/o pay, etc.).