US Customs Wants To Know Travelers' Social Media Account Names (helpnetsecurity.com)

Orome1 quotes a report from Help Net Security: The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has submitted a request to the Office of Management and Budget, asking for permission to collect travelers social media account names as they enter the country. The CBP, which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, proposes that the request "Please enter information associated with your online presence -- Provider/Platform -- Social media identifier" be added to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and to the CBP Form I-94W (Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Arrival/Departure). "It will be an optional field to request social media identifiers to be used for vetting purposes, as well as applicant contact information," the CBP noted. "Collecting social media data will enhance the existing investigative process and provide DHS greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity and connections by providing an additional tool set which analysts and investigators may use to better analyze and investigate the case." The public and affected agencies are asked to comment on the request within 60 days of its publication. Commenters are asked to send their comments to this address.

Comments

Easier to Travel To China

[EEPROMS]

As a foreigner who lives outside of china and USA it is far easier to travel around China now than the USA. Also the chances of getting shot at while taking in the views are next to zero in china compared to the USA.

Re:Easier to Travel To China

[zedaroca]

As a Brazilian, 100% agreed.
Chinese visa -> pay a little, send document and passport by mail, get the visa the same way. No explaining, just a 3 month period when I was planning to go.
American visa -> expensive visa. Fill forms on the Internet explaining my traveling plans (where, who's house, witch hotel), etc and book a date to take a photo and to do an interview. Had to travel to one of the cities with an embassy (1hr by plane), go to one of their photograph centers let them take a photo (for the FBI/NSA/DHS face recognition database, ie be treated like a criminal), then go to the embassy, get huge lines, do the whole security theater thing, do an interview, pay extra to get the visa by mail later.

Besides the safety aspect, I'm not scared of bringing electronics in/out of China, they won't mess with your luggage. To the US, the only safe option is to discard anything that gets out of your sigh (remember hdd firmware virus), so you are limited to carry on.

Re:Easier to Travel To China

[Zontar The Mindless]

Someone with mod points doesn't care for inconvenient truths, eh?

As a born US citizen who travels frequently to China, it's far faster/easier for me to get through customs etc. when visiting the PRC than it is when I go home to visit family in the USA.

I also have much more confidence in the abilities and professionalism of the Chinese border people than I do the Wal-Mart castoffs I see working for TSA.

The part about your chances of getting shot at--also quite true. I still have a little nick in my right earlobe thanks to a ricochet from someone exercising their 2nd Amendment rights a block or so away from me a few years ago. That didn't happen in China.

Back on topic: My response to such question would be, "I don't do that social media bullshit. I have better ways to waste my time. Any more questions?"

Meanwhile....

[matbury]

...extremists are busy creating new FB accounts and smothering them with cat pics and lolz.

Bunch of morons at CBP

[mea2214]

Any real terrorist cell with two brain cells to put together will have a well maintained perfectly clean set of social media accounts. All I see is a huge jobs program requiring more CPB "investigators" to vet all this bullshit.

Re:Bunch of morons at CBP

[Anonymous Coward]

In fairness, there seem to be a lot of terrorists and other criminals who are not very intelligent.

Re:"optional" as long as you fill it out...

[Hylandr]

I don't see this flying very far, as it has privacy implications for those that have no intention of international travel and cannot be offered the opportunity to opt out. I see this as a governmental power play to connect real people to public dissensions on facebook whether the intent is for good or ill.

This will more than likely be used by political parties to place opposing factions under duress like the people attacking trump supporters.

Re:That'll be interesting

[originalGMC]

But it would explain to the customs agent why you have no social life that would require social media.

That's not one of the multiple choices they offer you.

Re:Need to know?

[urdak]

The American Security Theater Administration (or whatever their real name is) already asks people going into the US idiotic questions - I've been asked for the address of my hotel, address and phone numbers of my relative in the US (why?), the address of the university I finished 20 years ago (why, you want to send them mail?), and a lot of other crap. Clearly, I could invent random responses and the interviewer would not know any better. I could also claim I didn't have or didn't know an answer. But do you know anybody who, after spending thousands of dollars on a vacation, would risk it all just to spite the security interviewer? So everybody (except the actual terrorists, of course) just tells these guys the truth. And hates the American culture just a little bit more :-(

And what's next?

[treczoks]

And in the next iteration, account names will be mandatory, together with the passwords for them (verified on the spot by your friendly customs people) and the PINs for your banking cards?

The PSA (Paranoid States of America) still shit their pants because of one terrorist incident a decade ago, while local yokels with guns (including the police) kill ten times that much people per year.

Then do something

[Actually, I do RTFA]

This is a request from a bureaucrat for permission. There's 60 days for the public to weigh in. If you don't like it, instead of bitching on /., call your congressman/submit an opinion through the proper channels.

Now who is laughing?

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

Google created google+ accounts for every gmail user. People laughed at its pathetic attempt to ape facebook. Now who's laughing? Google was actually doing all gmail users a favor. There will be an useless google+ account that no one bothers to look at, but will qualify as the social media account for the purpose of filling out some damned form to TSA!

Re:That'll be interesting

[Dr. Evil]

This new login thing is a fad.