I love Americans freaking out about being subjected to the same shit they force all others to go through.

Americans have no idea how border checks work. Remember that next time they share opinions about immigration.

Exactly - the title and the article is incorrect. Americans will still be afforded a visa-on-arrival for tourism and other approved short term stays. Additionally, the authorization is valid for three years and can be used for multiple stays within the EEA. I believe the UK is also implementing an ETA (edit, maybe I got the acronym right this time), but I think it is only valid for two years at a time.

In a way it's silly, but it also reduces that chance of a disruption/entry denial at the entry point to the Area.

I think a key benefit here is that the pre-registration allows for faster processing at the border itself, cutting down on queues at the airport. Singapore runs a system where after preregistration you can just walk through an automated (though somewhat finicky) scanner. No queues after arrival, I basically stepped off the international flight and went straight to the city with barely a wait.

Maybe they're selected because they're the most popular destinations? (Nor sure if that true, but it would make sense)

Even domestically, Americans hate this crap. No one likes the TSA. No one thinks they do a goddamned thing. It's a massive invasion of privacy and a huge waste of money. And then we have this "Real ID" thing looming over us just to get on an airplane (again, for a domestic flight only).

You'd think we could unite against such a simple common enemy but apparently no one has the time. I guess politicians are worried about a sudden glut of unemployed TSA workers who's only job skills are identifying the water bottle I forgot in my bag.

Also people saying "Europe is charging Americans a fee to enter" when really they're charging all non-Europeans. Typical American conservative self-victimization.

The visa, which will cost about $8, is similar to the one that European tourists are required to get when traveling to the U.S., which costs $21.

That's quite the difference.

Presumably the devil is in the hassle entailed in acquiring it, rather than the monetary price. ie a cost of time and effort rather than money

Edit: also the entailed risk of not being approved, lack of transparency for any denials, etc

Simply wow, this one is new to me. Guess I would never go to the US again.

Does my pornhub account qualify as social media?

Genuine question, how the heck do people who have a ton of social media accounts (some for a business, some for different topics, some they haven't used in ages and maybe forgot about or lost the login for) actually list them all? If it were me, depending on the platforms required, I don't even know where I'd begin. I very well might genuinely forget one I made 3 years ago, used for a month, and abandoned.

What if I don't disclose my social media accounts? How are they going to know? It feels like to me like more surveillance they're attempting to do.

It's just part of a larger expansion of a program that simply happens to include Americans. I really don't think they care about us that much; we're not that special.

Seems like it's more so covering the costs of doing automated background checks or something like that. Like making sure you aren't on any bad lists so they can prevent you from arriving instead of having to deal with you when you're already there.

It's not technically a visa, Americans are still granted that upon arrival it seems.