So much for freedom! US oil companies are raping and profiteering the Iraq oil supply but their citizens are still locked down tighter than China. IB is pandering to oppression.
I'm not an expert in this area but I believe they are required by the US Gov't to ask you these question because of the Anti-Money Laundering and Patriot Act that were passed shortly after 9/11. If you don't answer the questions you probably won't get an account open with them, and I do not believe they are being driven by racism, but rather by force. Good Luck!
I agree with you both, seems like you're limited to a British firm that will accept your British passport and have more reasonable "vetting" questions... oh, BTW (by the way) weren't the comments by the other posters here worse than IB's?
Why does everyone here love IB so much anyway? Seems like everyone here has their tongue up IB's ass.
There are numerous regulations regarding money-laundering, so financial firms have to "know their customer", especially so after 9/11. Due to your background from what is now a politically sensitive conflict zone, they would be insane not to enquire further. This is obviously the reason they asked these questions, I doubt they give two hoots what your race is. If you don't want to answer the questions, then don't. Just refuse to use IB if you find their security checks invasive. No one is obliging you to go with them. And they have no obligation whatsoever to take you on as a customer. I fail to see the problem here. A free country is one where people choose who they do business with. If IB want to check in detail on people who were born in war zones or dictatorships, that's their prerogative.
A brokerage account with a third-party is not an "economic freedom". It is a business service which is provided at the discretion of the provider. You have no right to it whatsoever, any more than they have the right to have you as a customer. In both cases, it is the *free choice* of both party to provide, or not provide, the service & custom in question.
What I can't understand is how do you consider their requests as racism? It seems that you are twisting things around, no foul language has been used in their request to provide information, it seems to me that you simply don't want to answer the questions because they insult you. They are just questions, if you don't wish to answer them, then open an account with another brokerage firm. When you go abroad some countries will have visa requirements for some & not for others, is that racism?
The oil industry in Iraq is nationialized. Iraqi oil revenues are all going to Iraqi. You socialists wouldn't know a fact if it kicked you in the ass.