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US To Seek Social Media Details From Certain Visa Applicants (phys.org)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: The State Department wants to review social media, email addresses and phone numbers from some foreigners seeking U.S. visas, as part of the Trump administration's enhanced screening of potential immigrants and visitors. The department, in a notice published Thursday in the Federal Register, said it was seeking public comment on the requirement. But it also said it is requesting a temporary go-ahead from the White House budget office so the plan can take effect for 180 days, beginning May 18, regardless of those comments. The proposed requirements would apply to visa applicants identified for extra scrutiny, such as those who have traveled to areas controlled by terrorist organizations. The State Department said it estimates that the rules would affect about 0.5 percent of total U.S. visa applicants, or roughly 65,000 people. Affected applicants would have to provide their social media handles and platforms used during the previous five years, and divulge all phone numbers and email addresses used during that period. U.S. consular officials would not seek social media passwords, and would not try to breach any privacy controls on applicants' accounts, according to the department's notice.
The proposed requirements would apply to visa applicants identified for extra scrutiny, such as those who have traveled to areas controlled by terrorist organizations...
This sentence should read...
The proposed requirements would apply to visa applicants identified for extra scrutiny, such as those who have traveled to areas controlled by terrorist organizations as defined by the USA.
Emphasis mine - Just to be clear since who a terrorist is to one entity, might be a "hero" of sorts to another.
Now, before I get crucified here, lets remember that the Taliban were once supported by the USA. During that time, some called them terrorists. What they are to the USA now, is well known.
I'm not a Visa applicant, so whatever! This doesn't affect me!
If you do decide to be a Visa applicant, I would recommend you not post "Kill the Infidels" on your FB page.
If it is such a shithole then why are they trying to get in?
I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
Don't travel to the US and don't do business with US companies. Problem solved.
Better news! A cottage industry has emerged over night to manufacture fake social media profiles for this sole purpose. Yawn.
Bio questions? Ask me to start a Q&A journal. Computer analogies available for most topics!
For superior health care, silly.
This is a good idea. People who use "social media" should not be allowed in the country.
Speaking with a visitor to the US from the UK last month they told me that in order to enter the US they had to give up their account information for all social media sites and agree that they could be banned from entering the US if they changed their password anytime in the next two years. That sh!t is unacceptable, IMHO.
They are not interested in anti-social media.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Governments don't understand that social media can be easily forged to appear normal enough and puppet accounts are easy enough to manufacture. The equation of security awareness with user profiling is a foolhardy notion at best. The skilled will use this to their advantage while the unskilled may be inappropriately harmed by false positives.
True security awareness must be undetected by the masses and after continual thought on this subject, such awareness is as critical as it is dangerous. The body of data available online does not reveal anything through the noise and only works to eliminate unintelligent threats against any nation.
However, enough people are willing to fork over intimate details about who they are and what their beliefs are. And those who are but shadows in the social areas are more likely to also suffer the consequences of a false positive due to their care and caution against leaving a footprint.
What is an ideal citizen and who gets to decide that? What does it mean when opposing parties secure their power rather than secure true safety for a population?
We could face a total enslavement to AI eventually, even with cautious practices; these policies only help human beings to tighten our own collective noose.
Once a policy exists for one small demographic, in this case new immigrants, that policy can easily widen to 100% of all citizens. However, we should assume that even today, everything we say or do online is added to the international security blueprint. Very few get to decide how that information is used and most of them are sociopathic narcissists, because that appears to be one of the hallmark traits of many a politician.
What's better though, through knowing about this, is that we can identify a clear path through such adversity and find ways to protect citizens from such potential threats.
There are threats to sovereignty and safety and we can look carefully at protecting all people from injustice but only if we get a clear understanding about what injustice is, where it comes from and how it can be averted effectively.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
Affected applicants would have to provide their social media handles and platforms used during the previous five years, and divulge all phone numbers and email addresses used during that period. U.S. consular officials would not seek social media passwords, and would not try to breach any privacy controls on applicants' accounts, according to the department's notice.
So consular officers won't do that, but I bet it'll all go through a NSA filter and since we're talking about foreigners they're free to do all the dragnet surveillance they want.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
In addition to being very invasive (phone number's often as good as a street address), this is a scheme to easily find all non-hermits at fault after they inevitably fail to list a phone number or email.
Could you conceivably remember every time you've ever picked up a phone, including i) *all* your old phone numbers, ii) the phone numbers of every hotel,hospital or home where you've been a guest, iii) anywhere else you've been reached or used the phone, iv) all remote work-related locations' or customer sites' numbers, v) any mobile phone you've momentarily used or borrowed, vi) any public phone, vii) technically, the actual outbound trunks used in multi-line commercial locations? For many people, analogous comments apply for email.
"Certain Visa applicants"
You mean brown people.... all others will be patted on the back and allowed to enter
And yet, I don't see many Christians writing "Kill the witches" on social media. It's almost as if Christian thought evolved beyond the beliefs of the Jewish books that preceded Christianity, as if the cultural norms and practices of a religion are not necessarily constrained by its scripture.
If I did see a Christian unusual enough to write "Kill the witches" on Facebook, I'd think there was something wrong with him. If I were in charge of vetting him for entrance to a country, I would likely treat that as a red flag.
Likewise, if someone coming from a place characterized by terrorist activity posted on social media, especially in places frequented by terrorists, "Kill the infidels," I might treat that as a sign that something is amiss with this person.
> very invasive (phone number's often as good as a street address)
Yeah I bet the next step is when Syrians and Iranians try to fly into the US, the US government will start asking for their name and address! It's just like Hitler!
Damn we *must* do something about our schools. We spend twice as much on schools as other countries, yet we're raising a generation of idiots.
As a Greek i have the privilege to read the New Testament in it's original language: Greek! I have not read anywhere the phrase "Kill the witches" or anything like this - on the contrary, i read many things about not killing, not even those who want to kill you.
And, as usual when i try to describe Muslims as they are (violent) in Slashdot, you try to suggest that Christians are like Jews (the ones who killed Christ... because He told people to not be like Jews who kill witches!).
As I wrote, it's in Exodus Chapter 22, verse 17.
And as i wrote:
STOP ATTACKING CHRISTIANS WITH LIES EVERY TIME SOMEONE DESCRIBES THE VIOLENT NATURE OF MUSLIMS
Christians are the followers of Christ, as we know Him from the New Testament (where, among others, He instruct His followers to NON-violence) - killed by the Jews who follow the Old Testament (the one you are quoting from)
Muslims follow Muhammad, as we know him from the Quran and the hadids, and where, among others, he instruct his followers to "Kill the Infidels".
Is that clear enough for you Sir, or should i write it to Greek?
Christians and Jews have learned to ignore the crazy parts of their religion. For example, most Catholics use birth control and many American lesbians are Christians.
Conversely if the US government want to use visa applications for data mining, I suggest they make them a hell of lot cheaper https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en.... Charging people $160 to mine their data seems like you will definitely limit you opportunity to do so. I would suggest the US government pay people rather than them paying the US and then they can ask for all sorts of information ;D.
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
AC the ability is set to find people who have posted a lot to veteran groups, sympathizer groups, "legal" charities, social events to raise funds or other group events, functions, commemorations.
Give a speech, get invited on stage as a long time supporter? Local TV covered the event? In the local news paper? Was on social media?
Thought the USA would never keep a database of each and every face? Thought the UK would never have teams in place to share such details with other nations and police globally?
Quality CCTV in every hotel, elevator capturing every face and sharing the results with police globally.
On average in todays social media world a face will be captured. By a hotel, been in another nation, as a passenger and driver down an interesting road. A years later they try to enter the USA as a "good" average person.
Or a friend of a friend has commented on their support for some group, political party, faith, cult or historical event.
So a person will have their online profile all over groups and support sites, forums, comments.
Later when trying to enter the USA they have to create a "new" clean account and risk facial recognition of all their past online support and promotion.
Thats a lie.
Or offer their real account and hope it has not been understood by US gov/mil or any other government.
Hope another nations has not fully translated every word and passed on all link profiles This is for average people in average nations who click and support whatever their family, friends, kin, community supports, cult or faith.
Most people might have a clean profile for "international" work, but have flooded other social media with their faces and support.
So the US can now ask for online accounts, hold back and its a lie. One lie and its back to the nation of origin.
The US has often asked for party political details so that is not new or unexpected. Just that a persons own use of social media is now much more easy to find and track. Dont lie on entry to the USA and any person of good character will be allowed in.
Having pages of support for other groups, faiths, nations, cults and hiding that online support is not the way to enter the USA.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
(...)"U.S. consular officials would not seek social media passwords"(...) As if they needed any password to have full access to our data.