'Extreme Vetting' Would Require Visitors To US To Share Contacts, Passwords (theguardian.com)

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration is considering whether or not to deploy "extreme vetting" practices at airports around the world, which could force tourists from Britain and other countries visiting the U.S. to reveal their mobile phone contacts, social media passwords and financial data. "Travelers who want to enter the U.S. could also face questioning over their ideology, as Washington moves away from a default position of allowing people in to a more skeptical approach to visitors," reports The Guardian. From the report: Trump made the "extreme vetting" of foreign nationals to combat terrorism a major theme of his presidential election campaign. But his executive order imposing a travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries has twice been blocked in court. Media reports suggest it has already hurt the tourism industry. The changes might include visitors from the 38 countries -- the UK, France, Australia and Japan among them -- that participate in the visa waiver program, which requires adherence to strict U.S. standards in data sharing, passport control and other factors, one senior official told the Journal. This could require people to hand over their phones so officials can study their stored contacts and possibly other information. The aim is to "figure out who you are communicating with," a senior Department of Homeland Security official was quoted as saying. "What you can get on the average person's phone can be invaluable." A second change would ask applicants for their social media handles and passwords, so that officials could see information posted privately in addition to public posts, the Journal said. The Journal report said the DHS official working on the review said questions under consideration included whether visa applicants believe in so-called honor killings, how they view the treatment of women in society, whether they value the "sanctity of human life" and who they view as a legitimate target in a military operation.

Comments

The USA has lost its damn mind.

[Anonymous Coward]

The USA has lost its damn mind.

Re: The USA has lost its damn mind.

[uohcicds]

Realy? For around 70 years, Europe would beg to disagree, with largely social democratic governments and social policy: socialised education, healthcare, economic development. The EU is an essentially social democratic institution. And quite a lot of the British electorate think that what's going on here is almost as batshit as what's going on in the States. Incidentally, there's a reason Breaking Bad is set in America. Here, he'd just get the treatment, without the threat of destitution

"Obama as an extreme populist" - boy, this tells you exactly how much the political life of the US has been polluted in the last thirty years. Mainstream US politics and media have totally lost their minds. And the world is looking at the US like it's off its tits on PCP. Which of course it is. You do realise we are not looking it you in admiration or respect. We're actually either laughing at you, or crying at how tragic it all is.

Re:Not surprised

[jabuzz]

No in the past the USA would just refuse to extradite people to face terrorist charges to European countries. I know for certain this applied to both the UK and France, and included terrorists who where Muslim.

Heck the USA would even allow terrorist organizations to fund raise in the USA!!! When it comes to terrorists the USA can just fuck right off.

Far more people have died in the UK from terrorists that the USA harboured and allowed to fund raise than have from any Islamist's terrorists, but don't let facts get in the way of your bigoted viewpoint.

Re:What is new now?

[hey!]

Not quite. Yes, what happened under the Obama administration involved CBP and social media, but it was significantly different.

Last July the Obama administration proposed a voluntary disclosure of social media profile information for travelers seeking a visa waiver through the ESTA system (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). It did not include password or contact information, but was controversial nonetheless. It sent into effect in December.[

The Trump administration is proposing significant changes to that program, requiring more information (passwords and contacts) and making it compulsory.