US To Seek Social Media Details From All Visa Applicants (bloomberg.com)

According to Bloomberg, the State Department wants to require all U.S. visa applicants to submit their social media usernames, previous email addresses and phone numbers. From the report: In documents to be published in Friday's Federal Register, the department said it wants the public to comment on the proposed new requirements, which will affect nearly 15 million foreigners who apply for visas to enter the U.S. each year. The new rules would apply to virtually all applicants for immigrant and non-immigrant visas. The department estimates it would affect 710,000 immigrant visa applicants and 14 million non-immigrant visa applicants, including those who want to come to the U.S. for business or education, according to the documents. If the requirements are approved by the Office of Management and Budget, applications for all visa types would list a number of social media platforms and require the applicant to provide any account names they may have had on them over the previous five years. It would also give the applicant the option to volunteer information about social media accounts on platforms not listed in the application. In addition to their social media histories, visa applicants will be asked for five years of previously used telephone numbers, email addresses, international travel and deportation status, as well as whether any family members have been involved in terrorist activities. Only applicants for certain diplomatic and official visa types may be exempted from the requirements, the documents said.

Comments

Enough is enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Guess I won't be travelling to the US anymore.

Re:Enough is enough

[angel'o'sphere]

Yes,
my twitter handle, my youtube handle, my facebook name, my slashdot name are private.
No idea why you think otherwise and what it is the business of an visa application to know them.

What is next? A special page in everyones passport where he has to register all social media accounts?
Is slashdot a social media? After all I have friends and fans here ...

Re:Enough is enough

[rtb61]

So easy answer. Social media accounts, don't remember having any, what's the penalty, wont let me in OK, done. Previous email addresses, oh yeah, er, fuck off, how the fuck would I know all the possible ones buried in all the possible web mail services, past companies email servers, past ISPs et al. Want an email, here have this one, I formally communicate with it, I don't remember having any others the user name and or the passwords. Phone numbers, here is the phone number to contact me with regard to visa queries, all the others, what others? Not truthful, meh, to the best of my reflection it is.

The US could run afoul of other countries laws in the amount of information it is requiring, keeping in mind that request is being sent to that country under threat of penalty, that countries government has to accept it as reasonable otherwise travel and reciprocity problems will occur.

The key number here is 15 million per year

[RightwingNutjob]

That's 41,000 per day, every day. No one is even going to follow up to see if the first alias listed even exists, let alone have time to verify its authenticity. This isn't even security theatre, it's security elevator music.

Re:The key number here is 15 million per year

[Mitreya]

That's 41,000 per day, every day. No one is even going to follow up to see if the first alias listed even exists, let alone have time to verify its authenticity.

That's 41,000 per day now. If that requirement hits, it may be thousands and thousands less.
Since there is no security benefit, I can only assume the goal is to prevent people from traveling to US so much. I am sure the tourist industry / travel industry would love that.

Re:The key number here is 15 million per year

[Kohath]

They’ll only investigate the ones from Yemen and Libya. They have to ask for everyone's because otherwise some ridiculous Federal judges will tell them they can't look into applications from Yemen and Libya.

Re:A better idea:

[snookerdoodle]

Perhaps because some of them come here as tourists and spend money.

Re:hm?

[BitterOak]

What's the value of a worthless request like this? If someone simply says they have no such account, how is the government going to refute him/her?

Well, suppose you say you have no such account. Then you show up at the border and they decide to search your phone. Then you're screwed.

Re:hm?

[Obfuscant]

If someone simply says they have no such account, how is the government going to refute him/her?

Given the number of border crossings, it is unlikely anyone is going to look at the data when you enter. It may be cross-referenced to existing databases of suspected terrorist identities online, maybe.

However, this will become of interest if you are involved in any trouble here, since a failure to report information will make your entry a clear violation of 8 USC 1325 and thus increase the likelyhood you will be prosecuted for criminal offenses related to illegal entry.

Re:The era of easy international travel is over

[angel'o'sphere]

The UK just imprisoned a US Traveler for 3 days just because they didn't like his/her political beliefs. Europe is worse, who knows what laws I might break by speaking my mind?
You are an idiot ...