Slashdot Mirror


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."

18 of 652 comments (clear)

  1. Against TOS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

    1. Re:Against TOS by dmomo · · Score: 5, Informative

      It's against the TOS for the user to let another access their account via the password. I didn't see anything in there about being on the receiving end. I would say it's implied, but it's not explicit. So security would be effectively forcing the user to violate the agreement with Facebook. Not sure how that plays out legally, but I'm assuming Facebook has every right to terminate their account for complying with the security check.

      Here's the clause:

      "You will not share your password (or in the case of developers, your secret key), let anyone else access your account, or do anything else that might jeopardize the security of your account.
      You will not transfer your account (including any Page or application you administer) to anyone without first getting our written permission."

    2. Re:Against TOS by Kagato · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Because it's against the TOS, it's against the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. CBP is asking people to commit a felony. The United States Court of Appeals held just last year that sharing password and allowing access contrary to the TOS is a violation. There are people in PRISON right now for commit this crime. I would not recommend doing it and Facebook should make a statement that what DHS is proposing is against the law.

      If DHS wants to do this they need to ask congress to add an exemption to the CFAA.

    3. Re:Against TOS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I agree. This is very simple and very great. Bigly! If you won't show your facebook profile then you have something to hide (why wouldn't you if you didn't?). If you have something to hide you are guilty. Seems like good security and can't be abused at all. Finally, we're back to common sense small government!

    4. Re:Against TOS by johanw · · Score: 5, Funny

      Just make a fake account on FB and Twitter and hand over those details. Follow and like Trump on both accounts and you're done.

    5. Re:Against TOS by tsqr · · Score: 5, Informative

      Because it's against the TOS, it's against the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

      18 U.S. Code 103018 U.S. Code 1030(f): This section does not prohibit any lawfully authorized investigative, protective, or intelligence activity of a law enforcement agency of the United States, a State, or a political subdivision of a State, or of an intelligence agency of the United States.

    6. Re: Against TOS by NatasRevol · · Score: 5, Informative

      Georgetown Law School says you don't know what you're talking about.

      http://scholarship.law.georget...

      The fact that the Framers chose to limit to citizens only the rights to vote and to run for federal office is one indication that they did not intend other constitutional rights to be so limited.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  2. WTF? by Calydor · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

    --
    -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    1. Re:WTF? by squiggleslash · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That seems to be the least of the problems. Even if you assume good faith (and you can't... too many stories of individual immigration officers, possibly with the encouragement of higher ups, acting inhumanely towards would-be immigrants), the request doesn't make sense: if I say I don't have a Twitter or Facebook account, are they going to believe me? What are the chances I have one if I live in a part of the world with no Internet?

      And if I do, and I'm actually using my Facebook account to meet up with terrorists, preparing to be the first person ever from any of those seven countries to commit an act of terrorism in the US, what makes you think I'd use the same account for that as I do talking with friends and family? I mean, having one account used for both seems like it'd be asking for trouble. Guess which password you'd end up with...

      What a waste of time and resources, and a completely unnecessary invasion of privacy.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    2. Re:WTF? by Cajun+Hell · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I can imagine Facebook, Twitter etc. blowing up over this.

      Me too, except "blowing up" in the sense of suddenly having lots of new account signups. I imagine a desk at airports, with public computer everyone uses to sign up for accounts on these websites, in order to have a password to hand over.

      "Uh, yeah, my account is throwaway12345@gmail.com. My password is 12345."

      how can they use ANYTHING they find as evidence of anything?

      This isn't for purposes of finding evidence. It's for theater. Someone got the idea that American voters want visitors to be humiliated and insulted, and this is their idea for how to best do it.

      How the idea of anal pattern photographs got shot down, I have no idea. Cowards!!

      --
      "Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
    3. Re:WTF? by Jason+Levine · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And if I do, and I'm actually using my Facebook account to meet up with terrorists, preparing to be the first person ever from any of those seven countries to commit an act of terrorism in the US, what makes you think I'd use the same account for that as I do talking with friends and family? I mean, having one account used for both seems like it'd be asking for trouble. Guess which password you'd end up with...

      Exactly this. It would take minimal effort for a would-be terrorist to make a "clean" Facebook account. Have it only friend pro-US people and be completely innocuous - not even discussing US politics, but discussing which pop band is the best and the results of "Which Hogwarts House Am I In" quizzes. A clever terrorist organization could even have a whole division dedicated to maintaining these accounts for years before handing them over to the would-be-terrorist. DHS gets the clean Facebook account and doesn't see the secondary account where he's liked every anti-US Facebook post there is. This won't protect us from terrorists (except, maybe extremely stupid ones), will weaken the security of people entering the US, and will lead to abuse.

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
    4. Re:WTF? by The-Ixian · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I think it is fine as long as all other countries ask for traveling American's passwords.

      Just wait for that blow-up

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
  3. The message this sends by rossdee · · Score: 5, Interesting

    USA doesn't want tourists visiting the country
    or business people doing trade deals

    1. Re:The message this sends by thegarbz · · Score: 5, Interesting

      To be fair that's been the message for a long time. There's few countries I dread visiting, and the USA is one of them. I remember my last business trip clearly.

      "Welcome to the United States of America" it said in the customs area of the airport. I got to stare at that shitty sign for 3 hours as a single customs man took his time individually fingerprinting and questioning the thousand visitors queued up.

      America is a lovely place and the people are lovely and friendly. But I still dread actually clearing customs in that area and I say that as a white ordinary privileged man.

  4. Re:What's stopping other countries? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  5. Re:What's stopping other countries? by TimothyHollins · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  6. How is data "at the border"? by Comboman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.
  7. Re:What's stopping other countries? by gtall · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.