Picture on keycard?

[just_dont]

 
GIF is the acronym for Guest Information Form. 

It's more commonly an acronym for Graphics Information Format, which is one of the most common image file formats, which made me think it might be our facial images, either from previous cruise or our passports.
I guess that's my bad.

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[Pushka]

2 hours ago, just_dont said:

It's more commonly an acronym for Graphics Information Format, which is one of the most common image file formats, which made me think it might be our facial images, either from previous cruise or our passports.
I guess that's my bad.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

 

Yes agree but saw GIF used by Viking elsewhere for this form. 

[CharTrav]

On 4/6/2019 at 11:26 PM, just_dont said:

Just got my Travel Documents from Viking, and noticed this on the Guest Information Form:

 

 

I know I didn't send them any GIF data, so they must have either gotten it from electronic passport data (via US Govt.) or possibly from our prior VR cruise.  I don't remember having a picture taken back then, but our arrival at the boat was fairly hectic, and I could just have forgotten.

Viiking retains all the data from previous GIFs.  Makes it easier the next time you book a cruise.  Gets to be an issue if your passport is due to expire less than 6 (?) months before your cruise date.  You can't complete the GIF until the "system" recognizes a valid passport.  I had to renew my passport months before it was due to expire: our cruise is this July but my passport was due to expire in March. So I renewed it months early -- like last October. 

 

And btw -- there is a valid reason for NOT NOT NOT scanning your passport and sending it as a PDF or JPG in an email to ANYBODY.  As somebody else noted earlier -- your passport is Personal Identifiable Information (PII) and should NEVER be sent via email to ANYBODY unless you are able to do so in a protected way (signed with strong PKI and encrypted with an equally strong encryption).  Which makes me wonder btw what protection airlines like United employ when they have me photograph my passport using their mobile app.  Hmmmmm... Now I'm worried... Sigh ...

[CharTrav]

19 hours ago, just_dont said:

It's more commonly an acronym for Graphics Information Format, which is one of the most common image file formats, which made me think it might be our facial images, either from previous cruise or our passports.
I guess that's my bad.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

Nope -- in the case of Viking -- acronym of GIF stands for Guest Information Form. Is not the acronym for any kind of graphical file format (GIF, JPG, etc.).  In my working career, I've learned that the same acronym can used and re-used to mean completely different things.  It's maddening.  And can lead to heated -- passionate -- arguments in meetings over the meaning of an acronym or even a term (they get re-used too to mean totally DIFFERENT things).  I built up a glossary for myself that I swear provided 5 different meanings for the same acronym.  What you need to know to disambiguate them is either the context in which an acronym is used or have some other clue.  And even then it's not easy.    In the case of Viking's GIF -- the meaning of the acronym is spelled out but I can't off the top of my head say where I've seen it. But it is.

Edited April 8, 2019 by CharTrav

[gatour]

 

5 hours ago, CharTrav said:

.In my working career, I've learned that the same acronym can used and re-used to mean completely different things.  It's maddening.  And can lead to heated -- passionate -- arguments in meetings over the meaning of an acronym or even a term (they get re-used too to mean totally DIFFERENT things).  I built up a glossary for myself that I swear provided 5 different meanings for the same acronym.  What you need to know to disambiguate them is either the context in which an acronym is used or have some other clue.  And even then it's not easy.   

 

I had to chuckle at this.  When I worked for the DOD in a joint command headquarters base, we had to keep in mind with whom we meeting with.   

 

There were even acronym's for acronym's.  We informally maintained a "dictionary" of the various acronyms that was shared between the various participants.  While I don't remember any heated/passionate arguments in meetings over the meaning of an acronym, I do remember a couple of time-outs where we spent a few minutes to make sure everyone was on the same page in regards to the meaning of a particular acronym.

[gatour]

On 4/6/2019 at 6:43 PM, CILCIANRQTS said:

Correct, and it should not be. Witness the rampant identity theft because it’s so easy to get someone’s info.

Good luck in getting loans etc without providing a SSN.

 

Mind you companies have gotten a lot better in only requesting the last 4 digits of the SNN for day to day encounters however there have been enough data breaches where people have acquired SSN from companies that had a legitimate reason to have them.  So most likely your SSN is already in the wild.

[Cienfuegos]

I try to write out the full name, and put the acronym with it on the first use.  Easy when you're writing, more difficult when you're speaking.

 

A few dollars each month for a privacy monitoring service makes me feel better. That and a credit viewing freeze on all three major credit broker services.  Massive reduction in junk "credit fix" phone calls and direct mail, too.

[CILCIANRQTS]

2 hours ago, gatour said:

Good luck in getting loans etc without providing a SSN.

 

Mind you companies have gotten a lot better in only requesting the last 4 digits of the SNN for day to day encounters however there have been enough data breaches where people have acquired SSN from companies that had a legitimate reason to have them.  So most likely your SSN is already in the wild.

 

Did I say I expected to get a loan without giving my SS number????? 🙄🙄