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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.
Guess I won't be travelling to the US anymore.
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.
And what if everything you posted is set to private? This appears to be an admission that they can read everything on Facebook at will, public or otherwise.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
The UK already bans people from entering based on social media accounts.
Canada googles citizenship applicants and questions people based on it.
So frankly I see nothing new in what the U.S. is doing.
So many people here on Slashdot seem to want more government. This is more government - congrats, you go what you asked for.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
How about you apply for a job at the Trumpet administration. Your ideas seem as fucked up as his.
We've set a few records there - 75 million tourists in 2014, according to this:
https://share.america.gov/75-m...
I guess we don't need any more.
Perhaps because some of them come here as tourists and spend money.
I think it's just meant to be another input for intelligence, compare visitor-reported facebook accounts against the ones they are analyzing at NSA or whatever :).
You know that it is required to have a B-2 Visa (Tourism and Visit) to enter the US as a tourist, right? Now, don't you feel stupid? Or do you intend for all foreign tourists to be replaced by domestic tourists, since we all come and "steal your jobs"? I guess that the tourist industry don't want customers over there. Well, with the people like you around and laws like these, I sure have crossed off the US from my list of countries to visit (again).
Look at the statistics of your own State Department (PDF) and note that the visas for business visits or tourist visits far outnumber any other visa by at least one, if not two or three magnitudes.
So stop being a racist moron and get your head out of your ass!
I don't remember all of the social media accounts, phone numbers, and email addresses I've used in the last 5 years.
Many of them are one-shot-throw-aways that I use to fill in online complaint forms. Their sole purpose is to receive the reply to the complaint - usually nothing more than the automated "your complaint has been registered" reply.
If this becomes a standard worldwide, I'll be forced to stay at home.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
We're going to force people to turn over their information simply to see if they said anything wrong while our so-called president hides what's on his tax returns.
Who do you think can do more damage?
I think I might be able to dig up my ICQ account number.
But what about all of those through away emails that I created on hotmail, let alone all of the ISPs that I have had email through?
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
...I always have, and I always will.
But I don't have to like their government, and most of the Americans I know, don't like them very much either, but it's theirs - and right now, all they got, they got to deal with it.
Sadly, because of the draconian laws and orwellian rules bestowed on travelers and tourists to the U.S. I won't be spending my tourist money there either, and that's sad - because I spend a lot. Just the last vacation, I spent roughly 4000$ in just one month, Four thousand dollars may not sound like a lot, but it's still money to some, the year before that I spent nearly 6000$ there.
I still WANT to go, because I love to meet my American friends in person, and they have roots in our countries too (as you may know, most of America consists of immigrants), and a lot of them stem from Scandinavia. But I'm a stickler for freedom - and I believe strongly in my rights, and no way - no how - will anyone force me to give up my entire history, no matter what excuse they hide under.
What this world is coming to - is for you and me to decide.
They are far better at protecting for information compared to bank cards. Don't leave home without it.
You don't need a Visa for vacation, you need a passport from your country of residence. Visa's are required for school or working in the US.
Correct, as long as your country of citizenship (not residence) is in the visa-waiver program. Otherwise you need a visa to visit the USA.
If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
Guess what the thing they stamp in your passport is for.
Only crack the nuts that crack. You don't put the ones that don't crack in the sack.
How about we just stop accepting visa applicants entirely?
Well, that's one way to increase unemployment. For instance, the professors who offer classes to foreign students won't have them anymore. And of course the follow-on jobs. Even if you discard the student visas, there are still American citizens employed supporting foreign workers. From people pouring them coffee to people selling them clothes to people renting them apartments... gone.
Unless unemployment is 0% , there are Americans willing to do the jobs.
Wait, what? It works the other way around. As long as unemployment isn't 0%, there are clearly Americans unwilling to do the jobs.
"Oh no... he found the
No more people visiting your country. You're gonna be safe. Splendid idea.
For countries that participate in the visa-waiver programme, such as the UK, just an I-94 is required to be filled in before landing.
At least, that was the case the last time I travelled there. If this new nonsense gets enacted, then that will have been the last time...
Of course, this will serve no useful purpose - anyone trying to get in with malicious intent will have prepared an innocuous set of social media content, but anyone sensible who eschews FB and their ilk will get pulled out of line for some special questioning...
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It depends on your country of residence.
Residents of countries - like the UK - that participate in the visa-waiver programme don't need a visa.
Everyone else does.
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USA 1945 != USA 2018
#DeleteFacebook
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?
Problem solved, once and for all.
#DeleteFacebook
Well, the Nazis declared war on the US after the Japanese put a preemptive strike in US style on Pearl Harbor and the US responded, not the other way around.
Don't worry, there are plenty of other countries where they can spend their money.
Being able to travel all over the world w/o substantial scrutiny or barriers is a relatively modern event, and was perhaps simply a temporary anomaly resulting from a brief period where long distance travel was easier than getting detailed information about travelers across borders.
In any case, this isn't a USA specific issue.
As an American with conservative political beliefs, I would not feel safe traveling to the UK or Europe. 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?
No country is perfect, and now that countries are engaged in the modern fad of encouraging only politically correct speech - all of them are taking advantage of the influx of information about travelers.
Facebook used to be a fun little website where you can keep in touch with friends you hadn't seen for ages.
Now it's part of an Orwellian spy system.
Time to delete all social media. It was fun, but this is why we can't have nice things.
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
I remember the American outrage when Brazil announced they would be fingerprinting Americans entering the country - Just like the U.S. had begun fingerprinting everyone entering the U.S.. Now this. Hell I couldn't even list my past phone numbers and E-mail, don't have twitter or facebook accounts. This is getting ever more excessive.
From the novel Space Viking by H. Beam Piper and unhappily seeming more and more applicable to his homeland the U.S.A.
Canadians are granted a B-1/B-2 visa at the border (depending on business vs. pleasure); they just don't have to apply in advance.
Source: being a Canadian who has travelled to the US a great deal.
Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.
> the State Department wants to require all U.S. visa applicants to submit their social media usernames, previous email addresses and phone numbers
the State Department wants to promote people not visiting the U.S., to spend their business, tourism, education, etc money elsewhere and to collaborate and innovate without us.
FTFY
Doesn't everybody keep multiple sets of social media accounts, one for letting employers and customs know about, and another under a false name for personal use? Also, what can they do if you just say, "I'm a Luddite, I don't have any social media accounts!" If you still keep a Facebook account on your phone, then you're an idiot.
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Canadians are granted a B-1/B-2 visa at the border (depending on business vs. pleasure); they just don't have to apply in advance.
Source: being a Canadian who has travelled to the US a great deal.
You're going to need a better source than that; I also have travelled to the US a great deal and, AFAIK, the only time I've had any kind of visa is when I've had to stay there for a few months. Every other time I've just chatted with the border agent for a minute and then driven through.
This is fucking stupid. For any number of reasons, but the main one is that there are countries which will reciprocally put the same requirement on US citizens visiting them. And then if I go to one of those countries, I'll have to admit that I have a Google Plus account. Embarrassing.
If you're so old in Internet years, surely you remember the Google Real Names Policy?
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
Who needs Mailinator?
"I run my own domain and email server--how many email addresses do you need?"
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
You may want to look up the meaning of the word "generally".
Or you could try scrolling further down on the page you linked, to where it says:
"Citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require visas to enter the United States, for visit, tourism and temporary business travel purposes"
Let us begin with "ebil 'muricans".
If you are the type of person who would type something like this, you already are an embarrassment to your country, your family, and humanity in general.
While I don't agree with the "twitter length" post by the AC before you, your response is precisely what makes America "the land of the under achiever".
My European family was sent to the gas chambers while my American family could not sign up to fight. An unfortunate side effect of being short, fat, and Jewish. Afterwards, much of my family went to Israel to become some of the worst of the Zionists. Those left behind supported legally, vocally, and financially the establishment of the most racist government ever.
I believe truly that in WWII, your even more primitive ancestry stormed the beaches of Normandy and 75 years later believe the world should pay homage to the dependents of all those great people, and their neighbors, and their dogs.
But if you understood why WWII happened, you would realize that all those people died not because of Hitler, but because of the English and the French driving the German people to the point where supporting Hitler made sense.
1) Unless you are a 100 WWII veteran or a 80 year old who lost their father to the war, you need to move on. The world and its people have changed.
2) If the last positive contribution you can cite or feel is suitable to cite was the performance of your club wielding adolescent ancestors and their performance wielding said clubs against the teenage children of the other side until a team of German immigrants managed to create a bomb that when unleashed burned 129000 (mostly civilians) alive while Truman made empty threats like "I can keep doing this all day".... you truly are some of the worst humanity has to offer. At least cite the Marshal plan.
3) No one outside of America has any point of reference to even attempt to understand what "ebil 'murican" is. I, as an "ebil 'murican" required assistance from Google to decipher such gibberish.
4) Once the war ended, the people would likely have noticed difference. People rarely do notice much in that sense. We wake, we work, we eat, we sleep. The Nazis weren't trying to kill everyone in the world as you suggest. They aimed for the most obviously different groups. This is similar to what your brethren do with Muslims ad Hispanics.See, if you can accuse people who look different than you of trying to take unfairly what you covet, you can blame them for you not having more. The Nazi would have ruled, but if you consider China, a country united though force by a military leadership who preaches pure blood propaganda... of the 1.4 billion people who they govern...maybe 10% would notice if they had democracy tomorrow.
I think what I'm trying to say is that the behavior of your ilk is precisely the reason why wars based on patriotic nonsense occur. Consider that the many great people contributed to the ending of WWII, but it took far more fools like you to start it.
What if they aren't on any social media? I'm a naturalized US citizen and not on any.
Exactly. Why do governments assume that people can't live without a social media account just like they can't live without a vital body part (like a heart).
Also, why is the US government taking applications for credit cards?
Funny how *we're* paranoid, but in Europe, you're ignoring the rape gangs.
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
You may want to look up the meaning of the word "generally".
Or you could try scrolling further down on the page you linked, to where it says:
"Citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require visas to enter the United States, for visit, tourism and temporary business travel purposes"
You may think and it feels like you don't require a visa, but trust me as a Canadian who travels somewhat frequently to the US, you *do* get a rubber-stamp temporary visa.
You might think you didn't get it or need it.
Corporate Gadfly
Jonathan Archer: the most beaten up Enterprise captain in Star Trek history
Currently, for China none, although they are massing troops on their borders w/ India and Bhutan preparing for a land grab there. As for Iran, while they're not directly at war w/ anyone, they have troops and Hizbullah puppets fighting alongside Baathist troops in Syria, while in Yemen, they're backing the Houthi rebels in fighting the Saudis. Although in this case, I don't believe that there is a side to pick in the Yemen civil war, since one has AQAP in the side opposite the Houthis. I just wish for a 'Two cats of Kilkinney' war b/w Iran and the Arabs to go on forever, so that neither of them has any terrorists left alive to infiltrate the rest of the world
Uh, rest of the world do have rights... in the rest of the world! Right now, you have Leftist activists campaigning to give voting rights to non citizens, which no country in the world allows! Yet in CA, illegal immigrants (I refuse to use the euphemism 'undocumented' since they brazenly broke the laws while coming here) have more rights and protections than both citizens and legal immigrants.
GP can go tour countries like Pakistan or Yemen and admire how wonderful they are, that it's an outrage that anybody would think of preventing their people from coming here
You have to have a visa to be a tourist in the US? That's news to the 15+ million Canadians that drive into the US each year.
Canada is the worst example one can use when talking of immigration, since Canada has a pretty special status in the US as a comparable neighbor. Use countries like Belgium or Honduras or Turkey as a better example
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
Hello, Mr. Boiling Frog. How is the water?
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-43393035
Citation needed on the "imprisoned for 3 days for beliefs".
How is the water?
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-43393035
So let's see. On the one side I have:
1. My own experience.
2. A US government website saying Canadians don't need visas.
3. Official government stats showing that the US issues around 11 million visas per year, but Canadians make 30 million cross border trips every year.
And, on the other side I have:
1. You. Saying "just trust me".
K. Way to sell your case.
"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else." --Winston Churchill
Casteism
I didn't realise this was all about *you*, sorry.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
You really don't understand anything about demographics and how they work, do you? You genuinely think that expanding absolute numbers of middle class in the past generations are more relevant than shrinkage of the next generations of consumers for future potential?
Population decline refers to the decline of the existing population numbers. If you weren't a complete idiot as you have demonstrated to be above, you would understand what that means.
Actually, even a complete idiot would understand, because that was literally what the Chinese officials were openly aiming for and got it.
To top off your utter idiocy on the very basics, you even went ahead and assumed my nationality.
Cherry of opinionated ignorance on top of cake of mind numbing stupidity. You win.