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US Visitors May Have to Hand Over Social Media Passwords: DHS (nbcnews.com)
People who want to visit the United States could be asked to hand over their social-media passwords to officials as part of enhanced security checks, the country's top domestic security chief said. From a report on NBC: Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told Congress on Tuesday the measure was one of several being considered to vet refugees and visa applicants from seven Muslim-majority countries. "We want to get on their social media, with passwords: What do you do, what do you say?" he told the House Homeland Security Committee. "If they don't want to cooperate then you don't come in."
At least with FB it's against the TOS, and if you sign on from an unfamiliar IP, it would try other challenges to validate your identity.
I can imagine Facebook, Twitter etc. blowing up over this.
Besides, if they get password access how can they use ANYTHING they find as evidence of anything? They've got WRITE access, for crying out loud! The evidence chain isn't just poisoned, it's rotted right through.
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USA doesn't want tourists visiting the country
or business people doing trade deals
I'm not surprised DHS is "considering" something like this. Certain gestapo elements in our government always are trying thuggish and ill considered tactics to make their lives easier. This is plainly a stupid and counterproductive idea to anyone with a functioning brain but the danger is real enough. The good news is that the companies affected (Facebook, Twitter, etc) have lots of money and flesh eating lawyers to fight such an over-reach by the government. I don't generally trust Facebook but I do trust their profit motive and DHS forcing people to hand over passwords is a clear and present danger to their bottom line.
If this behavior is permitted, then the social media sites need to start implementing read-only passwords for account. It is one thing to allow the US government to see everything n your account, and all your friend's accounts. It is an entirely different thing to allow the US government to act on your behalf with your account.
Its simple, more and more people are now avoiding the USA.
If I need to fly to Europe from New Zealand I now go through Hong Kong or one of the other non-us routes. This is now the preferred method for all staff as the risks of IT devices (computers/phones/etc) being compromised at the US boarder is now considered too high.
There is also a growing preference for equipment from the EU as any training will be outside of the US too.
The US is slowly but surely shitting in its own nest.
I know personally, for family holidays we will no longer consider the USA, there is a great big world out there to see, and currently the USA and its policies places it a long way down the list of places to visit.
I would love to see this happen.
Just wait for the entitled Americans to cry to their government reps about how they are being treated like garbage.
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
Ahh, I see. So the plan is to make the US such a terrible place that no-one will want to go there? Now it finally makes sense.
Just a heads up, you might want to look into Somalia, they appear to have attempted a similar approach.
How exactly is data sitting on a server in silicon valley "at the border" just because the person who created that data is at the border? By that logic, you can search their car, house, workplace and bank account without a warrant as long as they are standing at the border when you do it.
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
No, the plan is to tell Americans they are safe by banning people who have no record of doing naughty things in America, and that do not have Trump properties in their homelands.
One thing you have to consider when observing this Administration, nothing is connected. One policy might yang the yin out of some issue, another might yin the yang out of the same issue.
Also, knock-on effects are not considered because there's no way the head guys can keep two ideas in their heads at the same time. Case in point, the last Yemen raid by American Special Forces. The previous administration tried to think through the effects if something went wrong. The current administration would rather shoot first and aim later. The result: Yemen said no more of those.
Another case in point: American ban on Iraqis coming to the U.S. Iraq's Parliament is considering legislation banning Americans, and the Iraqis fighting and dying to attack Daesh are looking at the Americans and wondering why they should bother. Trumpets blaring about taking Iraqi oil tell them that the American administration has no respect for Iraqis. End result, decreased cooperation against Daesh, and possibly support for aggression against the U.S. after Daesh goes down the rat hole.
And the Administration rhetoric has given that little twit Ayatollah running Iran a gift claiming the Administration is showing America's true face.
Wanting to put China in its place, they did the opposite of rally Asian nations against China hegemony by pulling out of TPP thus pushing those countries closer to China. And whining about cheap Mexican labor and labor standards, they decided pulling out of the TPP would be a good idea, however it would have increased wages and standards for Mexicans.
Claiming the Mexican hordes are climbing over the borders (they aren't), they give every indication of starting a trade war with Mexico thus lowering the Mexican economy and making it likely to increase the pressure on Mexicans to squirrel under the new stupid wall to get into the U.S.
"DHS officials also stated that if the wife of a US visitor is good-looking, they want to demand they get to sleep with the woman before allowing entry to the couple..."
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.